


Butterfly Wings

by Oilux



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Complete, F/M, Pirate AU, Pirates, pirates everywhere, some blood, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7815610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oilux/pseuds/Oilux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old legend, almost forgotten. If one could find a mermaid scale, butterfly wings, their most prized possession, and blood from someone pure of heart, they could create the potion for eternal life.</p><p>For Mabel Pines, just came down to being in the wrong place, and knowing the wrong people growing up. Gideon was seriously unbalanced if he thought that kidnapping her would make her more willing to be with him. Yet would she be willing to take chances on another pirate ship to get away from Gideon?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake up

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to wolfinthevoid on tumblr for the plot idea!

“Do ya know what I like most about butterflies?” Gideon asked with a small smile on his chubby face, talking to the girl who seemed to be asleep on his bed. If it wasn't for the fact that her hands were bound before her and a head wound revealed just how injured she was, one could have thought she was sleeping. 

He didn't expect a response from her, and Mabel didn't give him one. Her eyes were opened to slits, staring blankly as she was still working on recovering. Mabel had expected a lot from Gideon over the years, but never something so violent. He sat at his desk, looking like a fat king with his feet on the desk and a jar with butterflies right by his feet. Except for the sound of waves washing against the boat, there was only the sound of Gideon's labored breathing and the tap tap tap of butterflies hitting themselves against the glass to break free. 

“It's their wings, sugar plum. Don't they just have the prettiest wings?” Gideon tapped on the glass, his nail making a sharp noise that just made Mabel bring her bound hands closer to her chest. It was getting harder to stay awake, and everything in her vision was starting to look just like a blur. 

“Captain, she don't look so good.” Someone spoke up, and Mabel struggled to even move her gaze to Gideon's second in command. 

The burly man was kneeling by the bed to get a good look at her, even though Mabel did her best to move away and protect herself. His blank, vacant eyes scared her, even though his touch was gentle as he examined the cut on her head. 

“She needs the doc.” Ghost Eyes was always firm with Gideon, and Mabel wondered if they were just long lost brothers. Ghost Eyes just got all the height and Gideon got all the fat. 

“Fine, fine, don't ya worry one bit, sugar plum, we'll get you fixed up.” Gideon moved as though he was terribly inconvenienced by her, even though he had been the one to bash her on the head in the first place. 

“Told ya it was a bad idea bringing a woman aboard.” Gideon grumbled, which only made Ghost Eyes sigh. 

They left, and Mabel was struggling to put back the pieces of her memory. Grunkle Stan would be so disappointed to see her like this, but even he had the best ways to heal yourself and get back on your feet. She wasn't sure what he would always put in her bowl of soup when she got sick, but it always made her feel better. 

Eyes closing as she struggled to think, Mabel listened to the tap of butterflies against glass and felt the smooth rocking of the ship. If she had been with family, or friends, this might have just been relaxing. Yet instead it was like she was trapped in a nightmare where she couldn't move. 

There had been a fire. Mabel remembered that. Not at her house, but close. Close enough to where she had just enough time to grab a sweater and bolt from the Mystery Shack before the flames got any closer. Dipper had been talking rapidly, getting buckets of water from nowhere and trying to protect the Shack while Mabel ran for help. 

Then, there was nothing. It was like someone had wiped her mind clean of memories, from the moment she started running through the woods to when she woke on Gideon's boat with her head pounding and her hands bound. Struggling, she did her best to sit up, managing at least that before Gideon came back into the room with Ghost Eyes and a doctor on his heels. 

“Marshmallow, you should be resting.” Gideon chided as though she was a child, hands on her shoulders and pressing her back into the mattress. Mabel whined softly, hands going up to push him away from her. 

“Captain, let me take a look at her.” The man who Mabel was just assuming was a doctor, actually pushed Gideon out of the way to start examining her head. Now that she was poking and prodding at it, she could feel the dried blood on her temple and the pain the simple prodding had on her. 

After several, pain filled minutes for Mabel, her head was wrapped up in a bandage and she was told to sleep. Mabel didn't really have it in her to protest, but she didn't fall asleep as she closed her eyes. No doubt they just wanted to talk about her when they thought she was asleep. 

“She has a concussion. You didn't have to hit her so hard, captain.” The doctor said, his voice now slightly warped to Mabel as she started to fall asleep. Try as she might, she wouldn't be able to hold on for long. 

“I forget how fragile my angel is.” Gideon sighed. “She'll get better in a couple days, won't she?”

“Yes, as long as you actually let her sleep. She's important, remember?”

“I know that, ya idiot. I didn't just pick her because she's my future wife, she's gonna change everything...now go find…”

Mabel didn't hear anymore, unable to stay awake much longer. Without any movement, Mabel finally fell into sleep, curled up on her side and unaware of the men still talking about her.

* * *

Waking up for a second time wasn't nearly as bad as the first. Her hair, in some places, was caked in blood, sticking to her forehead and making her grimace. Mabel gently held a hand over the bandages wound, as though that would make her feel better, sitting up with a wince and finally feeling somewhat like herself. 

There was no one in what she could only assume was Gideon's room. The butterflies had stilled, sitting quietly at the bottom of the jar, wings fluttering on occasion. Mabel stared at them for a moment, before finally rising out of the bed. It was just as soft as the one she had back home, but it wasn't the same, and the amount of perfume radiating off it clearly told her it belonged to Gideon. 

Her hands were still bound in front of her, but her teeth quickly made work of the shoddy knot Gideon had used. For everything he knew about her, he always seemed to forget how capable she was, and what she could do. Mabel stumbled slightly as she got out of bed, still wearing the nightgown which which had been marked with grey and streaks of ash. At least Gideon hadn't tried to change her clothing. 

Gideon had a large desk in the center of his room, with the bed Mabel had been laying on off to the side and a rather large looking closet on the other side of the room. Mabel made her way over to the desk, searching through drawers to find a map with a route or something she could use for a weapon. Instead all she found was random papers with foreign words written on them and a dusty old book that Mabel was even afraid to open because it looked so close to falling apart. 

The click of the door latch almost sent her into a panic, but Mabel immediately straightened, hiding the book behind her because it would take too much time to try to hide back in the desk. The book was shoved into her nightgown, just barely staying in place but managing.

“You’re awake!” Gideon said gleefully, closing the door after him. Mabel already knew that she was out at sea, and trapped, and should probably play along, but that didn’t stop her from her next move.

“You creep you kidnapped me!” Mabel shouted, ignoring the pain that caused her head as she grabbed the nearest thing to her and chucked it at Gideon. It looked like some kind of decoration, and hit Gideon neatly on the head with a satisfying crack.

“Sweetheart-ow! That hurt, peach!” Gideon pouted slightly, rubbing the new red mark he had on his face. 

Mabel backed against the wall, glaring at him fiercely even as he took a step closer. She didn’t even have anywhere to go, not with Gideon so close and being on a ship. Unfortunately, she had met all of his crew the last time he had come to visit her. Back then, they had treated her with respect, and she would make sure they did the same thing now.

“What did you do?” Mabel asked, asking about the fire, asking about her head, asking about everything. To think that she thought he could be better.

“Ya ran from me, marshmallow, and I just had to get you here. It’s about time we got married and started our life together!” Gideon clapped his chubby hands together, looking around his desk at the damage she had done and then checking on the butterflies. He actually seemed more concerned with them than with her.

“I cannot believe we’re going through this again.” Mabel scoffed, not so subtly searching through his nightstand for a dagger, luckily her hand wrapping around the handle of something sharp before touching the blade.

“Going through my desk, sugar? You know you can have anything you want. What’s mine is yours.” Gideon cooed once he seemed to put his desk back together.

“You just want me to be like those butterflies.” Mabel finally produced the blade, which actually made Gideon take a long step back from her. She was deadly without a weapon, but with a weapon she was just downright dangerous.

“Ya know what I like best about butterflies?” Gideon asked, and Mabel had to blink away the sense of deja vu that overcame her. Nodding her head slightly, Mabel still had a white knuckled grip on the dagger, held out in front of her like a spear.

“Ya know me so well, sugar plum. I love those bright wings of theirs.” Gideon cooed, as though talking to her like a child would make her calm down.

“And ya know what I like most about those wings?” Gideon sneered, taking a step closer but still out of the range of the small blade. “I like how I can tear the wings off a butterfly, and it keeps livin’ because ya know what? Some pretty girls with wings look so much better with them clipped.”

She knew he was cold, she knew he was callous. He almost killed her brother when they were younger just because Dipper got in the way. Still, it didn’t stop her heart from picking up the pace, it didn’t stop the small tremble in her hands that came from knowing just what Gideon Gleeful was capable of.

“Now, are you going to be a good girl or am I going to have to clip those wings?”

Mabel would have replied if it hadn’t been as though the ship hit a rock, making even Gideon stumble and have to grab onto his desk so he wouldn’t go crashing down to the ground. Mabel was still leaning against the wall, but her concerns were still about what Gideon could do, even as he glanced upwards towards the deck.

“All hands on deck! Enemy ship spotted!” Ghost Eye’s shouted, obviously taking on the captain role since Gideon wasn’t there. Gideon gave a small snarl, upset he had been interrupted, but still turned back to Mabel before moving.

“Don’t go anywhere, my little butterfly. I’ll expect that answer when I get back.” Gideon even had the audacity to blow her a kiss before he finally moved, leaving her alone once more.

Hand still shaking, and still trying to get through everything that was going on, Mabel had two options. Endure hell on this ship, or face the unknown on another ship. For all she knew, it could be part of the navy guard. A while ago, she would have stuck with what she knew, but her family was waiting for her. Mabel did love rolling the dice and taking chances.


	2. Whisper in my ear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta readers, dippsydaisy and trashmabill on tumblr!

A quick search through Gideon’s closet led her to find a coat that was very easily large enough to hide the nightgown she was still stuck in. The sounds of cannon fire were still coming from the rest of the ship, and now that she was moving closer and working on actually heading outside, she could hear the clash of swords and gunfire as well.

Gideon’s pocket was large enough to hold the book she had hidden, simply taking it out of spite now more than anything else. Gideon burn down her home? She hoped whoever was battling him managed to take down his ship. She cursed him mentally, dagger still in hand as she walked silently through the bowels of the ship.

It was a couple crucial minutes before she managed to make her way to the stairs leading towards the deck, her foot stepping in something wet and sticky. Mabel didn’t dare to glance down at what it was, not when the steps in front of her were bathed in blood and she was standing at the base. In some places where the light shone just right on the steps, she could have sworn she saw blood dripping down. 

A body suddenly slammed down the steps, just giving Mabel barely enough time to scamper out of the way as the poor man fell dead at her feet. Death was nothing strange to her, it was something that was always around, but still, as Mabel looked down and saw those lifeless, dead eyes staring up at her, she wanted to vomit.

Yet she still pressed forward, making her way up the stairs and completely ignoring the way the blood clung to her feet and squished beneath her toes. Men were battling in front of her, and she saw three men get gutted before her in the time it took for her to poke her head out from the bowels of the ship.

“Oh, hello there lovely.” A voice piped up, and Mabel couldn’t help but squeal as she was grabbed by the arm, hauled off of the stairs and onto the deck.

“Didn’t expect to find you here, love. Just what trouble are you getting into? A consort of the pig?” Mabel was twirled around to face the man talking to her, and really she was getting annoyed with all of these nicknames lately. 

Without a second thought, she gave him a bright smile, bringing a knee up to hit him right in the family jewels and press her dagger against his neck. The blond man let out a small ‘oof’ of pain as she pressed the knife hard enough against his neck to make a couple drops of blood appear.

“I am really getting sick of all the pet names, so how about you get your hands off me?” Mabel was much too chipper for the war going on around her, but really she just wanted to get away. What little opportunity she had to either get on the other ship or even get a rowboat. 

“Oh, you’re fun.” The blond man laughed, straightening up a bit quicker than she had seen other men in her past. 

“Let me go. Now.” Mabel growled, but all that happened was his fingers tightening around her arm. They were staring at each other, this blond man with a tight grip on her arm that was sure to leave bruises, with blood already starting to bleed from where Mabel pressed a knife against his throat.

“Oh love, you are just adorable.” The man cooed, but at least his voice didn’t sound as condescending as Gideon’s could be. “You’re forgetting one thing though.”

“And just what is that?” People were already stopping the battle, staring them down as Mabel heard the worried screech from Gideon on the fact that she was on deck. 

“I have a hand free.”

With a mighty swing he swung his hand around, slamming it into the side of her head right where she was still recovering from her injury that Gideon inflicted. Mabel’s hand on her dagger slipped as her vision got spotty, which gave the blond just enough room to spin her around and take some of the weight so she wouldn’t fall. He knocked the knife out of her grip, pulling a gun from the waistband of his pants and pointing it against her head.

“That was fun.” He laughed, leaning his head against hers and the bandage started to blossom with blood again. “Whoops, hit you a little harder than I needed to, didn’t I?”

It wasn’t even an option anymore for Mabel, she had to lean against him or risk falling. He didn’t seem bothered, if he was a little surprised at how heavily she leaned against him, he masked it well. The man’s arm wrapped around her waist tightly, as though afraid she would try to hit him once more. Mabel would have, if her head wasn’t still spinning.

“Cipher!” Gideon’s voice could sure bellow when it wasn’t squealing. “Let her go right now!” 

“Why?” Mabel could almost feel the smirk Cipher was sporting, making her shake her head softly. “You seem to be taking great care of her. Just look at those bandages.”

Whatever fights had been left were now dissipating, everyone focusing on the two captains and the woman caught between them. Mabel rolled her eyes slightly, at least recovering faster this time than before. 

“She should know better than to run.” Gideon snapped, sword still extended out. “But she’s mine, so let her go.”

“I don’t know, Gleeful, I like the way she feels.” Cipher pressed the gun just a bit more firmly against her head, making Mabel wince. “I bet I could show her a lot more fun on my ship rather than yours.”

“I will burn your ship to the ground!” Gideon’s face was turning an ugly shade of red, and even that threat made Mabel laugh slightly. It drew more attention to her than she wanted, but it gave her a moment to push Cipher’s arm off her slightly, enough for him to let her turn in his grip to face him.

“Big bad pirates don’t know anything about the real world.” Mabel smirked, standing on the tips of her toes for a second to whisper in his ear. Gideon was seething with jealousy behind her, but if he had been smart enough he would have seen a perfect chance to attack.

“Get me off of this ship, and I’ll make it worth your while. I know where Gideon keeps his treasure, I know how to take him down.” Mabel murmured, feeling Cipher shudder for a second as her lips brushed his ear, but she pulled away before he could ask her anything or pull her closer, she pulled back and gave him another smirk.

“Gideon, darling.” Mabel almost cooed, pushing Cipher’s gun away from her head. The man didn’t protest, still looking down at her. In fact, everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to make the next move.

“Yes, sugar plum?” Some of Gideon’s jealous faded when she addressed him, but it came back in full force as Cipher wrapped an arm around her waist again, just this time without the gun. Mabel honestly had no idea if he was going to shoot her or take her from Gideon, but either way something was going to happen.

“I think I’ll keep my wings.”

Mabel nearly screamed as she was suddenly lifted into the air, placed into Cipher’s arms like she weighed nothing. It was like her words sparked the battle once more, and the clash of swords and the smell of gunfire was in the air. Mabel wrapped her arms around the only steady thing she was leaning against, which was Cipher.

Bang! Mabel felt something tear through the shoulder of Gideon’s jacket and sink into her shoulder. There was a grunt from Cipher as someone slashed at him, but before anything else could happen, Cipher reached up, grabbing a rope out of nowhere, swinging them from one ship to the other.

Her shoulder was bleeding, her head was spinning from the blow the pirate placed on her, she reeked of blood and gunpowder. Her feet were bare and caked in blood that wasn’t her own, and Cipher still had his arm placed around her waist even as he placed her back down.

“Make sure you leave your mark, boys!” He called over Mabel’s head to his crew, even as Mabel pushed against his chest, wincing at that small action and quickly realizing she wasn’t going to be able to hold herself up for long.

“Let go of me.” Mabel snapped, quickly moving from pushing against his chest to holding the graze on her arm. After all of this, she never wanted to see blood ever again.

“You’re the one who asked me to take you away.” Cipher laughed, starting to lead her from the deck to downstairs, ignoring her stumbling steps and the way she still fought against him. 

“Just...just slow down.” Mabel ended up saying, which actually got him to look at her for a moment. She had blood still soaking up the bandage on her head, and Mabel was starting to feel as though she had gone through a war.

“I lost good men because of you, you better not go dying on me before you prove your worth.” Cipher almost snapped, easily picking her up once more even as she groaned and pushed against him more. 

“You’re appalling.” Mabel snapped, glaring up at him as he moved and set her on the steps leading up to the helm. Cipher barked out a laugh, moving and untying the sails so he could use the extra rope to bind her hands together.

“Again? What is it with men and tying me up.” Mabel really just wanted to sleep right now, but that wasn’t going to happen when she was on a strange ship with a captain who stared down at her as though she was his next meal.

“Fun to know Gleeful is into some different stuff, but if I wanted to tie you up for fun, I would leave you out in the open.” Cipher retorted back, looking over the knot before taking a couple steps back from her, seeming to expect her to bolt.

Mabel just took the chance to actually look up at him. She was sure she was a sight, in an oversized coat and bleeding in a couple of places. He was taller than her, with blond hair and a light dusting of freckles across his face. He wore a golden captain’s coat with black trim, a white, low cut shirt underneath his coat that just barely gave Mabel the glimpse of his chest. Were those muscles? She was definitely not staring.

“Hey, my face is up here.” Cipher smirked, making Mabel blush and look away. “Don’t go anywhere!”

Then he turned away as though he hadn’t just left a woman there, tied up and sitting on the steps of his ship. Mabel closed her eyes, leaning her head against the railing and listening to the last couple cannons being fired before she finally felt the ship starting to move. It wasn’t until there was someone near her that she opened her eyes, and even then, Mabel recoiled from how close the man was.

“Don’t touch me.” Mabel snapped, her injuries and exhaustion making her tone sharper than normal. The man reeled back as though she had slapped him, a small frown decorating his face.

The man stared at her for only a second before he scampered off, and Cipher was quick to take his place, her head once more leaning against the railing of the ship and blood still dripping down her arm. She was so sick of being injured.

“So, sugar plum.” Cipher grinned, ignoring the way she frowned at him. “Care to tell me what his weaknesses are now?”

“Screw you all.” Mabel really couldn’t even stay awake, her head throbbing and her entire body aching. 

“Cute.” Cipher laughed, bending down and untying her wrists, holding them in his hand so she wouldn’t lash out. It wasn’t like she had the strength to anyways. “What did Gleeful even do to you to want to join my ship?”

Mabel couldn’t even get up, not when Cipher tugged at her and tried to get her on her feet, but all that happened was Mabel struggling to get up and falling a second later. She only let out a soft groan as Cipher caught her in his arms.

“Well, that’s unusual.” Cipher mumbled, picking her up a moment later. “Alright, obviously you need to be looked at. Figures Gleeful would abuse you to hell and then let you go so easily. I’m starting to wonder if you lied to me…”

Mabel didn’t even hear anymore, suddenly leaning against his chest and falling into sleep in a matter of seconds, despite her mental protest cries. She felt like she was falling right from the lion's mouth and into his den instead.


	3. Talk to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support! I was planning to post this tomorrow but I have an anime convention this weekend so I knew I would have to post it today. I so would have forgotten tomorrow if I hadn't posted it now.

She was absolutely sick of waking up in a haze. Mabel groaned softly as she turned on her side, once more finding her hands bound in front of her. Was it too much to ask to wake up in her bed? Apparently this nightmare turned reality was never ending. 

At least she could feel a tightness in her bicep that let her know she had been stitched up, with a new bandage on her head. The jacket she stole from Gideon was gone, but she was still wearing the same nightgown and found a small comfort in that. There was little else she was going to be able to find comfort in right now.

What had she done? Mabel squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep, not even willing to open her eyes to see if anyone else was there. She had run away from Gideon and taken a huge risk in this, going with another pirate that could have a lot less for morals. Sure, Gideon made stupid analogies about clipping her wings, but at least she knew what she was dealing with.

Cipher. Where had she heard that name before? Mabel couldn’t remember. Did it matter when he was just a pirate? When he so willingly hurt her just as Gideon did? Granted, she had been defensive and put a knife against his throat, but she didn’t think he would actually hit her head wound like that. Still, the name rang a bell that she wouldn’t have been able to describe.

“I know you’re awake, butterfly.” A voice sounded, and Mabel couldn’t help but flinch, afraid for just a moment that she was back on the ship with Gideon and the fight had all just been a dream. Yet the voices didn’t match, and slowly she rose her head from the pillows to look at Cipher.

He was lounging in a chair next to his desk, with his feet up on the desk and looking every bit of a comfortable king. At least he wasn’t laying on the bed next to her. Mabel looked down at her bandaged bicep, placing her hand over the cloth there that was lightly stained with her blood. Cipher never even glanced up at her, not even as she moved to the end of the bed and swung her feet over the edge. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Cipher spoke up, and Mabel instantly had her eyes on him. With no jacket in sight, she pulled the blanket around her shoulders to maintain some modesty around a pirate. “Had the ship’s doctor check you out. Got a nasty graze from a bullet and you have a head injury. A really bad one apparently.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you hadn’t hit me.” Mabel snapped without thinking, but also not regretting her words as soon as they were out. She finally noticed the book in his hands, which he had never taken his eyes off of. “That’s mine.”

“No it’s not, it belonged to Gleeful, and now it belongs to me.” Cipher returned, finally glancing up at her as she stood. Mabel wobbled for a second, but managed to remain on her feet.

“Keep it, I don’t care. Just don’t call me that again.” Mabel didn’t even glance at him, moving towards the door. He didn’t move for a long second, but finally did get up to block her way.

“You need rest.” Cipher stared down at her, and Mabel finally had enough sense in her to stare back up and notice more details than before. He had blue eyes. They were nice.

“Okay.” Mabel said, pushing past him and opening the door. “I’m going to get rest.”

Her feet were still bare, but she couldn’t feel blood on them anymore, but she had no doubt that Cipher took the time to wash her feet off. He watched her curiously for a moment, finally following after her as she made her way to the deck, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.

“We left Gleeful’s ship a while ago, so if you want to go back on our deal, you’re out of luck, butterfly.” Cipher cackled, not expecting her to whip around and smack him across the face. Everyone on the deck was silent as a red handprint grew across his face, and Mabel’s chest heaved slightly at the adrenaline rush.

“Don’t you ever call me that again.” Mabel snapped. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re absolutely nothing. Like I said, a big bad pirate who knows nothing about the real world.”

She was tired, she was fed up with men not listening to her and ignoring her, she was fed up with being injured and being on a ship that belonged to someone else other than her uncles. Mabel spun on her heel, ignoring the way that everyone was staring at her as she made her way to the middle of the ship.

Shedding the blanket and no longer caring, Mabel scaled the ropes for the sails with practiced ease. Even tired and straining, she made her way to the crow’s nest in under a minute. The man who was there stared at her in surprise for a moment before she sat down, and took that as his cue to leave her be. He was hardly there for ten seconds before Mabel was truly alone, in the one place that someone could be alone on a ship.

When her great uncles had made up and gone sailing for the first time, they had taken her and her brother. Dipper and Mabel had been too young to leave all by themselves, and so they had spent the whole summer sailing around and seeing different parts of the world. To Mabel, the adventure had been fun, but the crows nest on her uncle’s ship had always been her safe place.

Mabel didn’t realize how much she needed to be alone until she was, with her back pressed against the wood that needed to be sanded down, splinters threatening to go into her skin at any second. The wind whipped harshly around her, but Mabel hardly felt it. She had barely been there for a minute before she felt hot tears prickling at her eyes, the stress of the situation too much to bare.

She cried for the abuse Gideon had put her through. She cried for the names they called her. She cried for the unknown she was facing. She cried for the family she wasn’t sure she would see again, and she cried for the fact that they could be dead because of Gideon’s actions. Mabel cried for the pirate who was on the deck of the ship who seemed as terrible as Gideon, and she cried for herself. 

On deck, the pirates all stared up at the crow’s nest as their crew member left. It wasn’t long before there was just silence and the sound of the wind as they gave the young woman her peace. Bill Cipher stood, watching where she had gone with calculating eyes and rubbing his cheek to try to get rid of the bruise that was sure to form. She was quite deadly when she wanted to be.

“Leave her be.” His second in command, Tad Strange, ordered before Bill could even make a comment. So what if he was already heading towards the ropes to get up there? She owed him information.

“She promised me information about Gleeful.” Bill grumbled, but still crossed his arms and didn’t move forward. Tad shook his head, clicking his tongue like a disappointed father.

“You saw the head injury she had. You saw Gleeful. Leave her be, she probably wasn’t even a willing guest on his ship.” Tad grabbed Bill’s sleeve, hauling him back to the helm. Bill had no protests to this, but he did yank his arm out of Tad’s grip so he could walk on his own.

“I lost good men because of her!” Bill snapped. “She will come down here and tell me what she knows, or I’ll lock her in the brig.”

“No you won’t.” Tad laughed, dismissing the sailor who was steering the ship and taking that post for himself. 

“Are you challenging me?”

“I’m saying that you won’t do that because you need her, and you know just as I do that if you lock her up she won’t say a goddamn thing. Just wait until she comes down.” Tad shook his head, pulling out a compass and slightly changing their direction. 

Bill sighed, leaning against the railing and crossing his arms. He already had a nice bruise forming on his cheek from her slap, and his body was as tense as a board. A part of him was already starting to regret taking her aboard. She slept for two days, she didn’t do anything, and she wasn’t fulfilling her end of the deal.

“This is ridiculous, she needs to calm down.” Bill snapped, pulling the book out from the pocket of his coat and flipping through the pages. There was only one page that had been read again and again, based off the wear and tear it had gone through. 

“What’s that?” Tad, clearly looking to change the subject, asked. Bill shrugged a bit, not sure how to explain and not exactly sure that he should. Bill kept glancing up at the crow’s nest, waiting to see if she was coming down or not.

“Not sure, it was in that stupid jacket she was wearing.” Bill sighed and shoved the book back into his jacket. 

“...You like her.” Tad smirked, turning to fully face Bill. “Didn’t think she’d have that much influence on you from kicking you in the balls.”

“I hate you so much.” Bill growled, taking a step back. Tad had just blown whatever patience Bill had out of the water.

Sending his first mate a very nice gesture that made Tad just howl in laughter, Bill stormed off to the ropes. It had been a long time since he had actually climbed to the crow’s nest, but he had more ease than the woman, who was probably still struggling to get better.

His boots clicked on the wood when he arrived, staring down at the girl who had tear tracks on her face and her free hand wiping away the rest of the tears that were still forming. He didn’t say anything, taking a deep sigh and sitting down next to her so the rocking of the boat wouldn’t suddenly toss him out.

“You owe me information.” Bill said after a long moment, watching as she turned her head away from him and angled her body as much as she could away from him. When she tried to move away, Bill’s hand shot out, grasping her wrist and preventing her from getting away.

“Don’t touch me.” She was shaking, and Bill sighed for a moment before he let her go and shrugged off his jacket to place over her. If she ever came down, he would have to get her new clothes.

“I did what you wanted and got you off that ship, you owe me.” Bill muttered, watching her carefully place the jacket over herself.

“Just leave me alone.” Mabel asked, leaning her head against the side of the crow’s nest, and Bill took the time to study her. She looked as though she had been through hell, that was for sure. “I just want to go home.”

“I can get you home when you keep your end of the deal. You’re going to help me take down Gleeful.” Bill reached over, grabbing her chin in a firm grip and making her meet his gaze. “You will either enjoy your time on this ship and give me what I want, or I’ll make sure you never see land again. So get off that high horse you have and tell me what I want to know.”

“Well, you’re out of luck, because I lied!” She shouted, pushing his hand away and feeling marks on her skin from his grip. Why did it seem like every man she met lately wanted to leave marks on her? 

“I don’t know where he keeps his gold, I don’t even know where he’s going next, and I don’t know how to take him down.” Her voice started out strong, but by the end of her sentence, it was weak, it sounded as though she expected him to take it out on her, and he could almost see the regret on her face.

Bill pulled back, bringing one leg up so he could rest his arm on it. She seemed to fold a bit in on herself, with Bill staying there silently and considering just what he was going to say next. 

“I should make you walk the plank.” Bill said, watching her flinch and frown. He sighed silently, reaching over into his coat and ignoring her discomfort as he grabbed the book. “You do know some things, for instance, what is this book?”

“It’s a book.” She crossed his arms. “I don’t know, I found it in his desk.”

Bill nodded, setting it down next to him and trying to think about what his next question would be. He noticed the slightest of shakes with her, as though she was still afraid that he was going to pick her up and throw her overboard. Reaching up, Bill placed his hand and taking off his glove to press against her forehead. She had just the tiniest of fevers.

“You need rest, love.” He sighed, pulling back and letting her have that distance again. She scoffed, seeming to burrow herself further into his jacket.

“Stop pretending you care. Just make me walk the plank already.” This girl was really starting to get on his nerves, but now looking down at the book she had brought and the pages that were worn and torn, Bill suddenly knew just why Gideon wanted her.

“Oh, love, if I wanted to do that I would have done that already.” Bill laughed. “Don’t you know Bill Cipher takes no prisoners? I’m getting a bit sick of your attitude. Here’s how this is going to go. You can either enjoy your time here on my ship and help me take down Gleeful, or you can spend the rest of your days in the brig until I decide what to do with you.”

There was silence for a long moment as she considered her decisions, and Bill ignored the way that she glanced at him with a new bit of thought as he revealed who he was. Though at this point, he thought it would have been obvious.

“I’m Mabel.” She sighed, moving closer to him. “I grew up with Gideon, what do you want to know?”


	4. Pines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and support~ Please leave your comments below!

She had taken over his bed. He supposed that’s what he got with threatening her with the brig, and making sure that no one else would touch her, but she had taken his bed, and flat out refused to share with him. It was ridiculous! He was the captain of the ship, but apparently he was taking orders from his new guest-slash-prisoner.

It had taken almost two hours to convince her to get out of the crow’s nest and back into bed, two hours of talking and questioning and wondering just what the hell she had gone through with Gleeful. Bill at least didn’t have to worry about her getting her sea legs, since she already knew her way around a ship, but when he asked how long he had been with Gleeful she had either lied or had been on a ship before.

“I don’t know, maybe two days? I don’t know where he’s going if that’s what you’re asking.” Mabel had replied when she was laying in his bed, with his blanket wrapped around her and getting rid of her fever. “Where are we heading?”

“To a port, we need supplies and some new clothes for you.” Bill said, flipping through Gideon’s book for what seemed like the thousandth time today. Mabel perked up a little, but did her best to hide it from Bill.

She spent a lot of time in his bed, recovering, but she had this unfortunate habit of stealing his clothes. It irritated Bil to no end, and Bill found himself spending more and more time on deck. She spent a whole day in bed after coming on his ship, sleeping silently and working away the fever that had formed. 

They were almost at port when she had come out on deck, wearing one of his shirts and a pair of his pants, looking as though she belonged on a ship more than some of his crew. Bill stared at her as she walked around, talking to some of the members of his crew only to be met with cold shoulders. They stared at her with a bit of disdain, and honestly Bill couldn’t really blame them. She looked fragile, still bandaged, it didn’t seem as though she would know anything being on a ship.

“So, already?” Tad asked, watching as Mabel was finally addressed by someone else, giving the task of swabbing the deck. She did it without complaint, more than likely just looking for something to do.

“What are you talking about?” Bill never took his eyes off of her, watching as Mabel glanced up at him and quickly looked away when she saw him staring.

“You already bedded her?” 

Bill’s gaze snapped from Mabel to Tad, glaring at him for a moment before looking back at the girl. She was one of the few women on this ship, he didn’t want anything to happen to her. Gideon had taken her for a reason, and Bill knew it wasn’t just for personal reasons.

“This book she had, I think I know what Gleeful was after.” Bill decided to change the subject, pulling out the book which had never left his side since he got it. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Tad leaned over his shoulder, looking down at the book which was a mix of writing and strange symbols that he didn’t recognize.

“Remember why we first wanted to sail? Why we stole this ship in the first place?” Bill asked, flipping to the same page as he always did. “This is it.”

Tad ripped the book out of Bill’s grasp, ignoring the complaint of protest and Bill’s struggle to get it back. Really, they acted like children at times, but they eventually settled down with Tad looking down at the book in glee and Bill with a proud grin on his face.

“So we’re doing this?”

“We’re doing this.”

* * *

Two days of being sick, two days of telling Bill Cipher everything she knew about Gideon. Finally though, she had gotten sick of staying locked up in the captain’s quarters and decided to make herself useful. The stares she got from the crew were more than likely due to her raiding Bill’s closet, but it was better than actually being locked away. She had no doubt Gideon would have locked her in the brig if she had dared to step outside of his cabin.

Swabbing the deck wasn’t bad, she had done worse chores on her uncle’s boat when they were in a bad mood. Fixing years of bad relationship didn’t just suddenly end because they decided to make up. There had been arguments, there had been bad times, but that’s what happened with family. They didn’t stop being family just because they had a fight.

“You’ve done this work before.” A voice sounded behind her, just as she finished the last part of the deck. Tad stood behind her, hands tucked behind his back and curiosity in his voice. Mabel placed the mop back in the bucket, turning to give him attention.

“I’ve been on a ship before, what can I say?” Mabel asked, turning her gaze to the choppy waters of the sea.

“Consort to Gideon, no doubt.” Tad replied, laughing at the anger on her face. 

“What’s your problem?” Mabel asked as Tad took a long step forward, and Mabel took a step back almost in sync with him. She didn’t know if she said anything wrong, or if Bill had a problem with her, but she was suddenly more on guard than ever before.

“Oh, you’re my problem.” Tad took another step forward, watching as Mabel’s back hit the railing and her hands went out to grasp it. It was nice to have her backed against the railing, staring at him as though She was afraid he was going to push her overboard.

“I think it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Tad leaned against the railing, hands on either side of her to keep her from rushing away. “You seem to think you have a place here, that for some reason the captain likes you. Just let me tell you, Pines,” he hissed her last name like it was a curse, “that you need to think again.”

Mabel stood there for a long moment, hands gripping the railing and not sure what else she could even do. He watched for a moment as fear seemed to cross her face, but then, she did the strangest thing. She actually moved, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. He was as tense as a rock underneath her touch, but didn’t move away from her.

“It’s okay. I’m not trying anything. I just want to go home.” Mabel said after a moment, feeling Tad slowly hug her back. 

Eventually he pulled back, staring down at her with confusion for a moment before she smiled and scampered off. Heading downstairs to the captain’s room before Tad could even say another word. He stared at her until she was gone, and didn’t move from his place until Bill came forward and stood next to him.

“She really is the one.” Bill said, crossing his arms and watching Tad glance down at himself, almost expecting a knife to be sticking out of his back. 

“She’s a Pines.” Tad leaned against the railing, watching the flash of anger cross Bill’s face. The history between the family’s was long, and rough. Mabel seemed ignorant of it though.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s the one we’ve been looking for.” Bill shook his head, looking at Tad before following after her. “Get ready for port, we need to make sure we’re prepared for this.”

* * *

She sat in Bill’s bed, back against the headboard, knees against her chest. If she had a sweater, she would be deep in sweater town at this point, but she didn’t have any. She had no idea what that was up on deck with Tad, but she just wanted to make friends, not enemies.

She had to ‘take care’ of Gideon to go home, but she didn’t want to take care of him in that way. As much as she wanted to get away from Gideon, he was someone she grew up with, he was someone who still had good in him, he could be great. There was a reasons why Mabel hasn't joined her uncles on their sea adventures when she got older, and that was a part of the reason. Mabel was built for life, not for death. 

She was in a silent pout when Cipher came back, sighing and hanging his coat up. The moment that and the hat came off, it was amazing to see how much he looked like a normal person. If she had met him on the streets, without the ship and the sea, she would have actually been all over him, and it was a sad thing to admit to herself.

He didn’t say anything as he moved over, looking down at her and sitting on the edge of the bed. She curled up further away from him, not wanting to get closer but not wanting to make it completely obvious that she was moving further away from him. Bill sighed slightly, moving and sitting close enough to her that she wouldn’t be able to move away without having to climb over him.

“Look, I think I’ve been pretty nice here. I need to change your bandages.” Bill sighed, already expecting the argument about this. Mabel didn’t move, but she did send him a look that almost made him laugh. He likened her to a kitten who wanted to lash out, but was just too cute to. Even if he knew she packed a deadly slap.

“Go get the doctor to do it.” Mabel sighed, but still presented her arm to him. Bill’s fingers untied the end, unraveling and revealing the torn skin underneath it.

“He’s busy, just shut up and let me.” The captain of the ship sighed, honestly more than annoyed with her tone and her attitude. No one else dared to speak to him like that. No one else dared to move and push him out of line. Mabel Pines was someone special though, and Bill had to say he was intrigued. He just wished she wasn’t so annoying at the same time.

“I want to go home.” Mabel whispered when her arm was bandaged and he began to unravel the one around her head. Bill glanced down, meeting her eyes for a moment as he looked over the marks on her head and tried to see if she was getting an infection.

“I’ll take you when you help me take down Gleeful. I hate that kid.” Bill mumbled, ignoring the fact that he was almost sure Mabel and Gideon were the same age. They most certainly didn’t act like it, and while Mabel had been a thorn in his side, she hadn’t been annoying to him.

“I don’t want to kill him.” Mabel whispered, still staring up at him. Bill fingers paused as they pushed against the cut, watching her wince in pain for a split second. When did he get so close to her? She was almost sitting in his lap, she was so close.

Really, he had been too long without someone. She stared up at him, hazel eyes wide and trusting, practically sitting in his lap with slightly parted lips that seemed to be begging to be kissed. He made sure that her head wound wasn’t infected before he started wrapping it once more. Really, she was too fragile for her own good.

He continued to stare down at her, even when he was done tying the bandage around her head and she continued to stare up at him as though he was her entire world. Bill’s fingers slowly moved down from her hairline, brushing across her cheek to touch her jaw and chin. She was lovely, he would never be able to argue about that, he just wondered if she was really staring up at him as though he was her world, or if he was just imagining it.

“Did you send Tad to talk to me?” Mabel asked in a soft whisper, and in a moment of daring, his finger moved from her lower lip to brush along her lower lip. Mabel pulled away slightly, snapping Bill back into reality.

“...We arrive at port tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll like it.” Bill said, taking himself back and breathing deeply. “I expect you to move into a cot where the rest of the crew sleeps tomorrow.”

“Wait, Bill-”

He moved slightly, getting up from the bed and leaving the room with a slam of the door that made even Mabel flinch. Mabel groaned, moving and burying her face into the pillow that reeked of Bill, wishing she was home.


	5. Dance a little

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is updated every Friday! Expect more!

By the end of the night, they had arrived at the port, too late to go into town and buy supplies and too early to go into the nightlife of the town. The way they worked during the night might be different from the way that they operated during the day, but it would give relief to the men who had been stuck at sea for too many weeks to count.

So, with nothing better to do, they tied up the ship at dock and settled on the deck, with music playing loudly and every sailor on deck. Any sleep that other ships were trying to get was ruined as every single member of the crew broke out the rum, broke out the dancing, and started to actually enjoy themselves.

Well, everyone except Mabel. Kicked out of the captain’s room, Mabel had to find refuge somewhere else. It had been a long time, not feeling comfortable in the sleeping quarters with the rest of the crew and the rest of the storage rooms completely full. Tad had offered her a place in his room, but she hadn’t trusted him enough to take him up on the offer, despite how he actually seemed genuine about the offer. 

So she ended up wandering around the last night they were at sea until they got to port, more excited about that than anything else. She had been looking forward to something to do, and more that she would actually have a chance to get away. 

Bill kept giving her strange looks, watching her wander around deck and find random things to do until it was night and she was exhausted from work. It hadn’t been long until night fell and she could barely keep herself on her feet, leaning against the rail. Someone, a man who Mabel was sure was the man who stared at her the first time she got aboard the ship and she snapped at, brought her a barrel to sit on and allow her to relax.

“Thank you.” Mabel said softly, accepting a drink from someone. She sipped at the hard liquor, trying not to choke on the feeling as it dripped down her throat and settled in her stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate something, but all that it did was make the warm feeling spread from her stomach to her chest.

“Um, mi-miss?” A rather light, stuttering voice asked her, making her look to the side to see a smaller man standing there. Mabel hadn’t seen him before, but with the way his eyes were glued to his shoes, Mabel knew he wasn’t a threat.

“I’m Mabel.”  She grinned, taking another sip of her drink. All she had to do was last long enough until almost everyone had left the ship, and she would be able to get out of here. Getting back home was another matter, but she would think of that later.

“I-I’m Kryptos.” He muttered, actually blushing when he glanced up and saw her smile. “Would you li-like to dance?”

Mabel hummed, tapping her chin in thought for a moment that was obviously just to tease, but all it did was make Kryptos squirm and give Mabel another chance to take a long swig of her drink. For a moment, she actually considered saying no, but then she saw the others starting to dance and the captain making his way over to her. He was the last person that Mabel wanted to see.

“Sure!” She chirped, hopping down from her place and taking another long swig of her drink and placing it on her seat. Kryptos was a blushing mess when she took his hand, leading him to the throng of people dancing around as though it was the party of the century.

Kryptos was an awkward dancer, but Mabel didn’t care, she hadn’t had one chance to relax and get along with someone in the whole time she had been there. It was a kind of dance she had only danced once before, where it was spinning and swirling and going through so many different partners. One moment, she was dancing with Kryptos, the next she was dancing with a burly man who reminded her of Ghost Eyes on Gideon’s ship, then it was Tad, and Mabel had never had so much fun before in her life. She was laughing and not caring, and a part of her blamed it on the rum in her system and the music in the air.

Meanwhile, Bill stood where Mabel had just been sitting, looking just like any man in his crew with his jacket and hat down in his room and just a plain white shirt on with the sleeves rolled up. He stared at her as Mabel danced with everyone on the crew, and marveled at the fact that he had yet to see her smile.

“Hear you kicked her out.” Tad panted slightly as he got out of the dancing group, standing next to his captain. “Where did you expect her to go?”

Bill shrugged slightly. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but he wanted his bed back, and he wanted to get his head in order. She was getting too close, and he couldn’t let her get too close. She was a prisoner, she didn’t need to think she had any sort of freedom.

“Oh, so I guess that you won’t mind if I share my bed with her. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go.” Tad smirked a little, watching Bill’s face darken with a frown. 

“Wouldn’t mind at all.” Bill muttered through clenched teeth, watching Mabel closely as Kryptos spun Mabel around with a laugh. He didn’t know she could be so happy.

“She’s very pretty, isn’t she?” Tad continued to say, watching Bill get more and more tense the more he watched. “I think I’ll go steal another dance before she gets more tired. Worked herself pretty hard today.”

Bill couldn’t help the small growl that left his throat as Tad went back into the throng of crew to quickly cut in between Kryptos and Tad. Mabel’s face was surprised for a moment before she dissolved into laughter, with Tad actually lifting her off the ground to spin her around. Bill crossed his arms, absolutely seething with jealousy as Mabel actually let herself relax and had fun.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there by where Mabel had been sitting and her drink that was still waiting for her, but it was long enough for one of his crew to actually come up, shoving him from waiting on the sidelines to into the group. Bill sent a glare in the direction that he had been pushed from, standing there awkwardly for a moment before Tad noticed he was there, and sent Mabel tumbling into his arms.

Taking a step back to steady himself, his arms instinctively wrapped around the still giggling woman who didn’t seem to realize who was holding her up or she simply just didn’t care. He stared down at her carefully for a moment, watching her finally look up at him and take his hand.

Then they were dancing, with Bill spinning her around with a light smile on his face, unable to resist her giggles as she held onto his hands. It was so easy to see the strength behind her movements, to see the woman who slapped him when he called her a pet name she didn’t like, who took everything in stride and didn’t even care that he kicked her out to find a place in the crew.

The song finally seemed to have to end though, and Mabel stared up at him, panting slightly but with the brightest smile that Bill had ever seen before. Maybe he had spent too long at sea to be falling so hard, or maybe there was just something about her. She didn’t look at him with hate, or disgust, and while there was a little bit of fear in her eyes, but in all ways he deserved that.

His hand, once more, went to cup her cheek, and Mabel was still staring up at him with those eyes, but pulled away the moment she could feel his hand on her face. Whatever spell the dance had put over her was broken, and the inevitable hurt came over her face. 

“Thank you for the dance.” Mabel mumbled, watching some of the men realize the nightlife of the town was waking, and took her place back to where she had kept her drink.

“Smooth, captain.” Tad whistled, watching Mabel drown her drink and go to get another one. “Haven’t seen anyone mess up their chances like that in a long time.”

“Shut up, Tad.” Bill groaned, scrubbing at his face for a second. There was a strange moment as the two men watched Mabel sit back down, a brand new drink in hand and a light blush on her cheeks.

“Such a nice captain we have.” Tad sighed dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead. “So you don’t like her?”

“Not one bit. Why are we even talking about this?” He still had his eyes on her, watching her lean her head against the ship and continue to drink. Bill wondered if she was a lightweight, she didn’t seem like someone who would be able to handle too much liquor.

“Just wondering. Guess that means you don’t mind if I pursue her.” Tad examined his nails, smirking when Bill’s gaze snapped over to him. The pirate captain wanted to scream, but instead he bit his tongue harshly.

“Go for it.”

“With pleasure.”

Tad stepped away from Bill, walking casually over to Mabel and met with a smile from her. He leaned against the railing over her, getting as close as he possibly could without actually touching her. Bill couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he only lasted a couple seconds of standing there before he marched over.

“Alright, shouldn’t you be getting to bed?” He addressed Mabel, taking the drink out of her hand despite her whine of protest. He gulped it all down before she could even think about taking the drink back from him.

“That was mine.” Mabel hiccuped rather loudly, giggling a second later and even reaching for the cup even though it was empty. 

“Mabel was just telling me how she decided to take me up on the offer to stay in my room, you know with you kicking her out and everything.” Tad mused, reaching down and taking a piece of Mabel’s hair to twirl between his fingers. “Isn’t that right, Mabel?”

Mabel nodded drunkenly, giggling again when Tad twirled her hair. She took his hand away from her hair, but still nodded again and started trying to braid her own hair. She couldn’t do much in her haze, but she did try her best.

“You’re drunk.” Bill stated, sighing slightly. “Come on, you can stay in my bed tonight.”

“And then I’ll stay with Tad!” Mabel declared, dissolving once more into giggles as Tad had to cover his mouth to stop his laughter. 

“That’s right, I mean you don’t have anywhere else to go.” Tad reassured, patting Mabel on the head like a puppy. 

“Okay, we will talk about this in the morning.” Bill said, setting the cup on the ground where it would probably sit there for way too long before someone would bring it down, but that didn’t matter right now.

“Aw, bu-but Bill,” Mabel hiccuped a little, reaching out and taking his arm, which Bill had no problems with, “I mean captain!”

She gave him a mock salute, which Bill really didn’t want to admit was as adorable as she probably thought it was, sighing and scooping Mabel into his arms. She made a noise at the sudden movement, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. To her, the world was spinning.

“We’ll talk about this later, Tad.” Bill muttered, giving Tad a sharp look and carrying Mabel downstairs to his room. Really, where had he expected her to go? She couldn’t very well go and stay with the rest of his crew without risking herself, and she couldn’t very well stay with Tad. Maybe giving up his bed wasn’t too bad of an idea.

Mabel was a slurring mess by the time he reached his room, close to just falling asleep against his chest and burying her face against him as well. There wasn’t going to be any more alcohol for Mabel for a long time, not with the hangover she was going to be feeling in the morning.

Though this could be to his advantage. She wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon, and with how drunk she was, Mabel would no doubt that she would sleep through the whole day tomorrow. He placed her into bed, pulling the blanket over her and making sure she was fast asleep before he pulled away. 

Sometimes, things just couldn’t work out better for Bill Cipher.


	6. I'm Nothing to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to go down! Always remember to comment after you read!

Waking up was a terrible thing that immediately made Mabel want to curl up in a ball and regret every decision she had ever made in her life. The sun was much too bright, the slight rocking of the ship was almost too much for her to handle, Mabel was close to never getting up ever again. She was most certainly never having another drink ever again, that was for sure. 

Groaning softly, buried herself into the soft pillows and pulled the blanket up over her head. She was never drinking again, that was it. Never again. This was too much. She didn’t even know where she was, much less how she got there. The last thing she remembered was talking to Tad, something about ‘playing along’ and Bill.

After a couple minutes of laying there in complete agony, Mabel peeked out from underneath the covers, looking around the room. All of the blinds were drawn, but even then the small amount of light that came through was too much for her. It took a couple hazy blinks for her to recognize just where she was, and to do a quick check on herself to make sure nothing happened. How stupid could she be to actually get drunk around pirates? At least nothing had happened, from what she could feel.

There was a glass of water next to the bed, and Mabel snatched it and gulped it down before she could question if anything was in it or not. There didn’t seem to be, since it didn’t taste like anything other than water. Bill wasn’t there, and Mabel settled back into the pillows with a sigh.

She never wanted to get out of bed again, and she reassured herself that she didn’t have to. Ships always stayed a couple days at port, she had plenty of chances to escape. Sleep was so much better anyways.

* * *

She had passed out almost immediately, and Bill took the time to actually go and get her a cup of water so she could have that when she woke up. After that, there was so much to do, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get it done in time. This opportunity was a narrow one, but it was one he refused to let pass by.

Getting back on deck, a bit of the crew was still there and got the unfortunate task of helping Bill with his task. He ordered two men to get supplies the moment market opened, and the rest were set with getting the ship in order and to repair whatever needed to be repaired.

It wasn’t until dawn broke through the sky that Bill realized just how exhausted he was, but things were coming together. His men were bringing supplies to the ship and fixing things, almost all of them were going without sleep like he was, and it wasn’t the first time that they had done something like this.

Getting everything perfectly in order, Bill yawned as he headed for the market that was still starting to open. It took him a couple minutes to find the stand that he had never had a reason to stop at once before, but he wasn’t questioned when he bought a couple of dresses that seemed to be in Mabel’s size. At the very least, it meant that she would stop kidnapping his clothes, even if she probably wouldn’t like the dresses. 

Heading through the town, with the new clothes being sent to his ship along with a couple other things the store owner told him any proper lady would need, Bill sighed at the thought of the upcoming fight that was sure to happen. Mabel was a spitfire, that was for sure, and while he liked her energy, he was exhausted. 

Not even spending a full day at port, as soon as Bill was back on the ship, it was put to sail once more, sailing through the dark blue water and away from shore before Mabel Pines even woke up from her hungover slumber.

* * *

She woke when it was almost dark out, with her headache slightly lessened and the light from the sky no longer bothering her eyes as much. Mabel rubbed her eyes to try to wake, stretching in bed and finally getting up. She clutched her head at the ache it caused, but refused to let it get her down for long. Mabel was never drinking again.

“Not even a hangover can keep you down for long, can it?” Bill asked as he walked into the room, dark bags underneath his eyes and looking as exhausted as Mabel felt. 

“Did you even sleep?” Mabel asked in retort, smirking just a little bit. “Thought I wasn’t to stay in your room anymore, captain.”

“Then don’t get fucking drunk.” Bill retorted, going and sitting on the bed where she had just left. Mabel stared at him for a moment, before going to sit next to him carefully.

“You need sleep, come on.” Mabel murmured, pushing on his shoulder until he was lying flat on his bed. Folding the blanket over him, she tucked him firmly into the bed and whapped him with the pillow when he decided now was the time to argue with her.

“Don’t go anywhere.” Bill yawned, curling up in the bed and crinkling his nose when Mabel scoffed. She most certainly was going somewhere, just not on his ship.

“Get some sleep, you idiot.” Mabel watched him drift into sleep before she moved, getting out of the captain’s quarters and heading to the deck. She should be eating, but the thought of eating anything made her want to vomit. She still felt full from the water she had drunk a couple hours ago.

The moment that she came out on deck though, Mabel completely froze. Not only were they out at sea, but the crew seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument, with Tad trying to calm them down. Mabel had seen a lot of crew fights in her days, with her uncles, but this wasn’t like the ones she had seen before. This was just brutal.

Tad waved his hands, trying to hear the rambling men one at a time. They were all talking over one another, trying to make their voices heard but just sounding like a babble of gibberish. Mabel took a careful step back, trying not to get involved, even though she wanted to go and talk to Tad about some things as well.

“Men, will ya shut the hell up!” Tad yelled, getting a couple of the men to calm down for half a second. “We follow the captain’s orders. He didn’t want to stay there, so we didn’t. Now get back to work!”

“You don’t get to say anything when the captain’s letting you bed that little thing he picked up. What, you don’t think we don’t know?” A man spoke up, one that Mabel somewhat remembered as being the cook with huge teeth that slightly rattled her. 

“That’s none of your goddamn business. If ya don’t want to stay, you can get in the fucking dinghy and leave!” Tad screamed, and Mabel took another step back just to bump into another crew mate. 

It was like everything froze. Mabel fell to the deck with a harsh smack as the man she had bumped into reached down to help her up, Tad looked about ready to have a panic attack, and Kryptos rushed downstairs. It was like everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Mabel the moment most of the crew looked down at her with anger in their eyes.

She should have just stayed in bed.

“Why we even keep her? She don’t do anything!” Someone yelled, and the man who had been trying to help her up stared down at her for a moment before backing up. Tad stood in front of her while Mabel got back on her feet, trying to take another step back but completely unsteady.

“That’s not your decision, it’s the captain’s, and he wants her around.” Tad snapped. Mabel glanced around for a weapon, but didn’t find anything, she didn’t even have her knife. Whatever happened to that?

“Captain’s down for the night, just give us a little time with her, she’ll earn her place here.” A man Mabel had never seen before sneered, not even waiting for Tad to say anything before he roughly pushed the man to the side, knocking him against the deck hard enough to knock him out and leave Mabel with no defense.

“Don’t you dare touch me, you filthy animal.” Mabel snarled, hands balled into fists and unsure what she could even do right now. 

The men were so much bigger than her, so she used that to her advantage, darting to the side and trying to rush past. She didn’t get far before one man snapped his hand out, grabbing a fistful of her dark hair and shoving her back into place. Mabel couldn’t help but cry out as she felt a couple of strands of hair forcefully ripped out of her skull, but the man didn’t let go of her when she was back in place.

“Stupid girl, you don’t know anything.” The man sneered, slapping her hard enough for her teeth to cut the inside of her cheek and for blood to pool in her mouth. Mabel pushed herself away from the man, but all that she ended up doing was falling down next to Tad and wiping the blood from her chin.

“We’ll show ya what you can do to help out around here.” The man stepped forward, but fell down harshly as the sound of gunfire rang through the open air. Mabel flinched, as did the rest of the men, everyone watching their fallen comrade slump dead on the deck, with a bullet wound slowly leaking blood out of his back.

Kryptos ran from behind the captain, rushing over to Mabel’s side as the barrel of the captain’s gun still smoked. She flinched again at the contact as he looked over the bright red mark on her cheek, but soon Kryptos was gone and checking over Tad for injuries.

“What’s going on here, men?” Bill asked, and the deck was completely silent except for the click of his boots as he stepped in front of Mabel, looking down at her for a second. Mabel averted her gaze from him, hiding the tears that had sprung up from the slap and her hand going up to cover the mark.

“Nothin’ captain.” The men spoke together, most averting their gaze from the captain but still casting glares Mabel’s way.

“Nothing?” Bill shoved his gun into the waistband of his pants, watching as Tad finally started to rise. “You all have ten seconds to explain what is going on here.”

The men started all talking over each other, mainly about how Mabel was starting a mutiny and Tad had no idea what he was doing. For a moment there was just speech and Bill listening to them all, and Tad finally sat up with Mabel moving to slightly check over him and to see if his head was bleeding.

“That’s enough!” Bill shouted. “Throw that thing,” he gestured at the dead body, “overboard. This is not what I expected from my crew. If you have a problem, you can take it up with me. Now, does anyone have a problem?”

Not a sound. Slowly, a man grabbed the dead body, hauling it over the edge and into the dark water below. Mabel let Tad lean against her as everyone went back to work, leaving a puddle of blood on the ground and Mabel and Tad still in pain.

“Thank you, Kryptos.” Mabel whispered, seeing him right there. Tad pulled away from Mabel and sat on his own, allowing her to get up and give Bill a chance to look her over.

“Don’t touch me.” Mabel said when Bill reached out a hand to touch her cheek. He pulled back, but didn’t look away from her.

It was unsettling, seeing him kill someone so easily, but Ma bel expected nothing less from a pirate. The pieces were falling into place now, and Mabel was hurt and angry and just wanted to be left alone.

“Why did you come on deck?” Bill had the audacity to ask, as though Mabel really should be the one to blame for the actions that the crew, and Bill, had taken.

“Why did you get me drunk and leave port before they could relax?” Mabel asked instead, still having a hand over her cheek. 

“Mabel…” Bill started, but seemed unsure of where to continue.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Mabel said, wiping more blood from her chin and turning away. “I don’t even know what I expected.”

Before he could say anything else, Mabel went downstairs, back into the bowels of the ship and leaving Bill to take care of his crew in any way he felt fit. She didn’t know what she expected, from the man who danced with her last night, she had just expected something else. 


	7. Cold as Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a day late! I've been pretty busy! Also be on the lookout for something new from me!

She could tell that they were moving north by how cold the air would get in the mornings, and how even during the day she still wished she had a jacket. The slap on her face left a large bruising mark that was fading from an ugly purple bruise to a mess of green and yellow, and while it still hurt, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the initial slap.

Tad had recovered from the head injury, and Bill hadn’t said one word to her since that night. She hadn’t returned to his room, taking turns bunking with Kryptos with the rest of the crew and staying in Tad’s room. There was no reason or explanation as to why she was so upset, but it was there, and she couldn’t explain it if she tried. 

She leaned against the railing at the bow of the ship, shivering with cold as the sea air whipped through her hair. Tad was manning the helm, keeping an eye on her so that she wouldn’t randomly get attacked once more. Amazingly enough, Bill’s threats against the crew had actually seemed to work. Besides Kryptos and Tad, everyone seemed to stay a minimum of ten feet away from her at all times.

The sky was cloudy, and as she stood there in the cold leaning against the railing, Mabel watched as snow actually started to fall. It wouldn’t be long before there would be icebergs in the distance. She hated being on this ship, not sure where they were heading and how this would end up keeping her end of the deal.

Unable to take the cold any longer, Mabel shook herself of the snow and waved at Tad as she went downstairs. There was a captain that she needed to talk to, to get them on the same terms once more. As much as she hated to admit it, he was the main reason that she was safe now.

Not even knocking before she entered, Mabel was still rubbing her arms gently to get warmth in them as she saw the sight laid out before her. Bill seemed to decide that a nap was in order, laying his head on the desk with his arms acting as a pillow. Mabel shut the door silently, glancing at the bed and wondering if she would be able to get him over there without waking him up.

“Captain.” Mabel said softly when she decided she just didn’t want to carry him. “Wake up.”

He stirred almost immediately, lifting himself up and staring at her for a moment before shaking his head, as though he didn’t believe she was really there. This game that they were playing was starting to get old, but Mabel just wanted to see the man who had smiled down at her when they danced and stared at her like she was his world.

“Well, if it isn’t Shooting Star.” Bill mumbled, closing up a couple things before looking back at her. “Whatcha want?”

“I want to know where we’re going, and I want to know what you want from me. You seriously don’t expect me to take down Gideon when we’re in the middle of nowhere.” Mabel waved a hand, finally getting color back into her cheeks. “You look terrible.”

“You’re really one to talk.” Bill replied back, shaking his head. “I don’t have to tell you anything, so unless you want to bug me about something else, you can go back on deck and bother Tad. He told me about you two.”

Mabel paused for a moment, before the biggest grin spread across her face. Bill stared at her for a moment as she walked around his desk, pushing his chair until he was completely facing her. Mabel’s hands were still cold to the touch, but she was warming up.

“Oh, are you jealous, captain?” Mabel asked, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek as he had done to her before. “Well, maybe, if you didn’t act like an ass and throw me out of your room, I wouldn’t have to fight for my survival every night and we could actually get along.”

Lightly tapping his cheek, Mabel’s smile disappeared and she turned to walk away. He was a handsome man, no doubt, but he was a jerk who didn’t care, he just wanted to take down Gideon and keep her as a prisoner.

She barely got a step away before his hand snatched out, grabbing her own cold one and refusing to let go. Mabel whipped around to face him, glaring up at him as he stared down at her. His grip around her wrist was tight enough to keep her close, but not tight enough to entertain any thoughts of leaving.

“You don’t know anything.” Bill muttered, anger on his face, but she refused to back down. Mabel laughed right in his face, trying to twist herself out of his grip.

“I don’t know anything? I’ll tell you what I know. I know I’m stuck aboard a ship with a crew that hates me, I know I’m stuck dealing with a pirate captain who glares at me every time I walk near him. I know I’m stuck always trying to watch my back, I’m stuck watching you sail as far away from anywhere where Gideon would go, so I can’t keep up my end of the deal. I know now that I’m dealing with a jealous pirate captain who would rather see me fight every night for survival than even try to keep me safe.” By the end of her speech, Mabel was jabbing hard against his chest, breathing rapidly and struggling to keep control. “I’m stuck wondering if I’m ever going to see my family again, or do anything for myself ever again, because I’m sure that  _ Bill Cipher  _ of all people would rather see a member of the Pines family dead instead of fulfilling his end of the deal. So you know what I’m sure of? I’m sure I’m not getting off this boat alive.”

Bill didn’t even know what to say, because he hadn’t decided on half those things as well. He shook his head at the end, but didn’t say anything, going to grasp her chin in just the hopes that she would just stop talking, but her chin was trembling and he had no idea what to say. What could he say? There was a lot he should have done, a lot he could do, but he wasn’t sure just what would fix this.

He let her go when she pulled back, but all he ended up doing was wrapping his arms around her and hugging her as tightly as he could. She had lost weight from the first time he had carried her downstairs, back when Gideon was just escaping with his life and he wasn’t sure that she would make it through the night. She just seemed to fold into his chest, burying herself there in the warmth and protection that he offered.

“D-Do you think my family thinks I’m dead?” Mabel asked in a small voice that made Bill think of Kryptos, and he gently rubbed his hand down her back. 

“Honestly? Yeah.” Bill said just as softly, which just made Mabel bury herself further into his chest and cling a bit tighter to him.

He only moved a little, to gently pull her back to sit in his lap as he sat down in his chair once more. Not saying anything, Mabel moved carefully to still bury herself against him, still relishing in his warmth and comfort. He was a strange man, one she knew was cruel and terrible, but she knew he had good in him. Just because she believed he was better, it didn’t mean that she stopped seeing the bad in him.

“I shouldn’t have kicked you out of here, not after...you’re always welcome in here.” Bill didn’t even bother to try to hide the fact that he pressed a kiss against her head, feeling her melt against him. “C’mon, Star, you really think that after everything I’m gonna let you get hurt?”

“Yes.” Mabel answered without hesitation, but didn’t move. “I have no doubt that you would throw me to the sharks if it fancied you.”

He had done a lot worse to people who hadn’t captured his interest, to people who still would have been useful to him. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just letting her rest in his lap and probably relax for the first time in a long time.

“Why do you call me that?” Mabel asked after a couple minutes of silence, when she felt herself starting to drift off into sleep. “Tad and I never did anything, by the way.”

“I think it’s better than something else I could call you, right?” Bill asked instead of answering. He wanted to say it was because she reminded him of a star, bright and always granting people’s wishes.

Mabel didn’t say anything, just nuzzling her face against his chest as she drifted off into sleep. Bill moved to go back to working, his free arm still wrapped around Mabel to keep her close and prevent her from falling from his lap. She was so interesting, one moment screaming at him and the next moment taking a nap in his lap.

A rather loud knock on the door almost an hour later made Mabel stir, and Bill ignored it until Tad walked in without another word. Tad closed the door behind him and started to speak before he noticed the girl fast asleep on Bill’s lap, with the blond giving him a stern glare that made it clear what would happen if Mabel woke up.

“About time, were you actually nice to her for once?” Tad whispered, going and sitting on the corner of the desk. Bill sent a glare at him, but didn’t know how else he was going to reply to that.

“Shut up Tad.”

“So elegant. I’ll tell Kryptos that I won the bet. Does this mean she won’t come to my room anymore after hiding from the rest of the crew because you wouldn’t protect her?”

Bill gave him a hand gesture he was sure Mabel would have actually laughed at, watching as Tad had to turn away so he wouldn’t break out into laughter. It was about time the two of them got along in some way, be it just being able to stay in the same room as each other or being as close as they were now.

“So cruel to me, no wonder she said she liked Kryptos better.” Tad muttered. “I actually came down here to say we’ve arrived, but I see you don’t want to be disturbed.”

“What? Why didn’t you say...oh.” Bill looked down at Mabel, who he really didn’t want to wake up but at the same time, they had finally gotten to the destination that they had been sailing to for many days. 

He didn’t have to worry about that too much, because Tad took matters into his own hand and slammed the door, if only to wake Mabel up because he didn’t take his leave. Mabel jumped, nearly throwing herself to the floor as she tried to wake up. Mabel looked up at Bill, who’s arm was still around her waist, and then at Tad who was laughing again.

“I hate you both so much.” Mabel groaned, taking Bill’s arm off her waist and standing with a shudder. It was still cold in here, despite the warmth that Bill had given her.

“Thanks, Mabel, I needed to hear that.” Tad ruffled her hair, while Mabel nudged him in the ribs to try to get him to quit. Bill watched the two of them, honestly a bit jealous that they got along so well.

“Like I was just telling the captain, we’ve arrived.” Tad said, pushing her gently in Bill’s direction. Mabel crossed her arms, pouting slightly before turning to Bill.

“Where are we?” Mabel asked, pushing some of his things to the side so she could sit on his desk. Bill helped her move a couple of the more delicate maps out of the way, so they wouldn’t be damaged.

“In the arctic.” Bill answered easily, smiling a little. “Have you ever seen a mermaid before?”


	8. Mermaids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never get time to be on an actual computer for long, so that's why I post every Friday! Thank you all for your patience. I'm dealing with a lot in my personal life right now, and seeing comments here on my work makes me happier than words can explain.

Even with a jacket borrowed from Tad to help starve off the cold, icy wind, Mabel still felt completely unprepared for the snow that was outside. She stared down into the cold water that was so dark it looked black, glaciers in the distance, almost seeming to taunt them. Mabel shuddered, feeling the cold nip at her cheeks and wished she could go back downstairs.

“I read once in a story that when they thought the world was flat, the closer you get to the edge the colder it is.” Mabel muttered more to herself than to anyone else, watching them approach an island that looked more like a floating glacier than an actual island. They were preparing the dinghy to go out to shore, a couple men staving off the cold with activities rather than bundling up.

“Aye, I remember that story.” Someone said near her, extending a hand to help her into the small boat. Bill had been all too willing to let her go along with him, and if they hadn't just worked through most of their feelings, it would have been a red flag going up. Instead she was just excited to see a mythical creature her uncles had told her about when she was young. 

Bill climbed into the small boat, and Kryptos came along as well to row so they wouldn't have to. Mabel not so subtly moved as close as she could to Kryptos, leeching his heat and doing her best to stay warm. The sheer amount of warmth Kryptos’ blush was putting off was enough to keep her warm. 

Soon enough they were heading out, leaving the ship in the distance and rowing towards the small island that Mabel still could see as a floating chunk of ice instead of a home for mermaids. Did they just stay in the arctic or did they travel? Mabel had so many questions she was almost thrumming with excitement. Dipper was going to be so jealous when he heard that Mabel got to meet mermaids. 

The boat hit the shore of the island with a crunch as the ice that coated the sand had to move. Bill got out first, helping Mabel so she wouldn't slip and fall, and then the three of them worked together to pull the boat ashore so it wouldn't drift away. 

“Go get a head start, Mabel. We'll be right there.” Bill said to Mabel, grabbing Kryptos so they could make sure the boat was completely tethered. 

Mabel hesitantly nodded, a bit wary of going off on her own but also wanting to see the mermaids. Her arms were firmly tucked around herself to conserve warmth as she went into the island, almost slipping on ice with every step. How penguins managed to keep their balance, she would never know. 

“Sir, shouldn't we…” Kryptos asked softly, shivering as well at the cold. Bill seemed to be the only one not affected by it. 

“She'll be fine. You know how the legend goes. Women are the only ones who aren't killed on sight by mermaids.” Bill sighed, leaning against the edge of the boat. It wasn't like she'd be able to get away, or escape on an island in the arctic. 

It was gorgeous, the way the water carved the ice into patterns, making small caves that led down to murky depths. Mabel walked into the largest one, which even then was almost too small for her to squeeze through. Her breath misted out before her, the one semblance of heat in an otherwise icy domain. How Bill found this place, she would never know, but she loved it. Even if there were no mermaids. 

Yet in the corner of her eye there was a splash of water that made even Mabel jump. She was almost standing on a ledge, in a natural ice cave carved by waves, and chilling water just barely brushing the edges of her shoes. Forget waiting around for Bill, Mabel knelt down by the water, letting one arm leave the warmth of her body to gently brush against the freezing water. The tips of her fingers instantly went numb at contact, but she got to watch the ripples bubble up and hit the edges of the ice, the only thing that mattered. 

She blamed her lack of sense on being memorized by the ripples, and that's why when a pale hand slowly creeped out the water, revealing a mermaid with hair as bright white as the ice could be, Mabel jumped back as though the water burned instead of froze. She gasped, amazed with the sight as the mermaid came to rest on the ice, staring up at her with pale eyes that were almost white, and a tail that was as dark as the night. Mabel felt flat on her behind, gaping silently before the biggest grin spread over her features. 

“You're amazing.” Mabel breathed, leaning closer once more. She had no idea if the mermaid spoke English, but Mabel didn't care. She was never going to see this sight again. 

The mermaid opened her mouth, revealing a sharp set of teeth and making a sound that Mabel could only describe as the waves hitting the shore. Mabel fumbled for words for a moment, unsure if they could even communicate beyond hand gestures and signs. But then the mermaid paused, seeing her confusion, and croaked out a word that meant everything to Mabel. 

“Lost?”

Mabel couldn't keep the smile off her face, sitting down on the ice despite how the cold immediately soaked into her pants. The mermaid tilted her head, and Mabel could have sworn she saw more of them in the water, but it was too dark for her to tell. 

“Not lost. Came for friends.” Mabel placed a hand on her chest. “Mabel.”

The mermaid stared for a little bit before reaching out, feeling the fabric of Mabel’s clothes and making sounds in her native tongue when she felt Mabel's leg and Mabel didn't have a protest against being touched. 

“How get here?” The mermaid asked, twisting her tail to give Mabel a peek at the sight. Around her, other mermaids were starting to peek their heads out of the water, all interested in staring at Mabel. 

“Ship.” Mabel answered, hesitantly reaching out and silently asking permission to touch the tail of one of the mermaid. It was allowed after a moment, and Mabel felt along scales and ice water to feel what no one else probably had the joy of feeling. 

“Pirate?” Mabel would have panicked for just a moment, if they had pulled away from her. Instead they just seemed curious, and Mabel didn't know better about a wrong answer. 

“Them, yes.” Mabel answered, but then placed a hand on her chest. “Not me.”

Whether or not they really understood her was something to be seen, but the mermaids seemed to accept her answer, one even coming up on the ice to touch her dry hair and compare it to her own. Mabel just couldn’t keep the smile off her face, even though their wet hands easily soaked through her clothes and she was shaking with the cold.

One mermaid sat behind her, with grey hair and wrinkles that spoke of age, braiding her hair and weaving things into it. Mabel wasn’t sure what it was, but it weighed her hair down and it made her feel pretty, so she put up on word of complaint. All she did was sit there and try her best to communicate, brushing her hands over tails and scales and seeing everything new.

“Mabel?” Bill’s voice came through the end of the ice cave, making a smile light up her face even as the mermaids around her cowered. They huddled around Mabel, glaring at the man who was approaching.

“Bill!” Mabel chipped, watching his jaw drop in shock at the sight of Mabel surrounded by mermaids. She waved brightly at him, despite how her teeth were chattering already and she felt like she was frozen to the ice itself. 

“Cipher…”

“Traitor.”

“No good.”

The mermaids around Mabel all started chittering to themselves, and Mabel did her best to just try to keep them calm and stop them from leaving. Bill took a step forward, but stopped the moment one of the mermaids hissed menacingly at him.

“Mabel, your lips are blue, we need to get you back to the ship.” Bill held out his hand for her, the other one going to rest on the hilt of his blade. Mabel pouted for a moment, but still nodded, trying to get up but slipping. It didn’t help that her new friends pulled her back down the moment that she got up.

“It’s really cold, I can’t stay here.” Mabel tried to explain, rubbing her arms to try to get warmth through friction. She was so sick of being cold. 

“Not with him.”

“Cipher is no good.”

“Killer.”

Mabel glanced over at Bill, who was glaring hard at the elder mermaid who had been once braiding her hair. She never realized just how threatening they looked when they weren’t curiously looking at her.

“He will not harm another sister.” The elder said, sharp clawed hands placing themselves on Mabel’s arms. Her breathing hitched a little, looking at Bill and then back at her new friends.

“Bill, what did you do?” Mabel asked, the chattering of her teeth starting to make her words sound choppy, but she tried to hold firm.

“This isn’t the time to talk about it, we need to get you back to the ship where you can get warm.” Bill moved his gaze back to Mabel, stretching his hand out just a little bit more to her. 

It was like a protective coven, wrapped around her but absolutely freezing. At some point, she had stopped seeing her breath come out of her lungs, and slightly wondered if it meant her lungs were as cold as the air around her. Bill was staring at her, the mermaids around her were threatening, and Mabel still couldn’t get up from the ice on her own.

“I know he’s scary.” Mabel said softly, resigning herself to her fate on the ice since she couldn’t get up. “I know he’s mean, but I have to go with him. Please, let me go.”

The mermaids around her twisted, some faces showing rage that she would even suggest something of the sort, going with a man who killed their sisters, while others seemed more understanding. The elder looked down at her for a long moment, before pulling away and calling for the others to disappear into the water.

“Sister.” The elder mermaid declared, taking and holding Mabel’s almost numb hand for a moment. Mabel smiled, watching her friends disappear into the dark water, and Mabel hoped more than anything that she’d be able to come back and see them.

Bill walked forward, picking Mabel up without a word. She almost flinched at the heat he was putting off, but after a moment the heat made her realize just how cold she was, and she almost melted against Bill. He sighed slightly, and if Mabel didn’t know any better, she would almost say he was disappointed with how this went.

“You hide a lot of things from me, don’t you?” Mabel asked when they got to the boat. She still attached herself to Bill. refusing to let go of him now that she realized how cold she was. Bill sighed again and let Kryptos row, still just trying to warm Mabel up.

“The past isn’t important.” Bill muttered. “It doesn’t matter.”

Mabel didn’t say anything for a long moment, resting her head against his shoulder and wondering if her lips were still blue. He was always hiding things from her, but she supposed that it wasn’t something he needed to come to terms with on his own.

“You’re strange.” Mabel said, the chattering of her teeth only stopping when they got to the boat and the ladder went down for them. “You get mad when I don’t trust you, you hide things from me, and...it just seems like you want me just for my body.”

Kryptos scurried up the ladder before Mabel could talk more, not really wanting to hear where this was going. Bill attached the pulley’s to the dinghy so they could haul it up, not speaking for a long moment.

“Keep your distance then. I’m not a kind man.” Bill still reached down to help her up, making sure she didn’t fall over in the boat. “I’m the worst pirate who ever sailed the seas, love.”

Mabel paused a couple steps on the ladder, staring down at him and her numb hands still holding the rungs to keep her in place. Bill’s arms were out, as though he expected her to fall and for him to have to catch her, but Mabel just stared at him curiously. 

“And?” She asked after a long moment of silence and staring. She saw the briefest flicker of surprise rush over his face. “I know who you are. I’ve heard the stories. I know the facts. I know you’re  cruel, and inhumane, and the reason why my uncles have issues they won’t ever really be able to work through. I also know you’re the same man who shot a part of his crew who struck me, who took me from Gideon without even checking to see if my words were correct. I’m not saying that there’s no darkness in you, no evil, I’m just saying that you’re not completely devoid of kindness either.”

Mabel turned back around, starting up the ladder once more, though she did need help from the crew once she got on deck. Meanwhile Bill was left on the dinghy, shock and surprise on his face, but a small spark of happiness in his heart.


	9. I Don't Trust You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's going to yell at me for this chapter and I love it.

It was almost an hour of warming up and thick blankets for Mabel to stop shaking. She stole more of Bill’s clothes, completely ignoring the dresses he had bought for her. Really, she was on a pirate ship, and apparently already some of the crew viewed her as a weakling, she didn’t need a bigger target on her back.

She was sad to untangle the items from her hair, but she needed to dry off, and most of the shells were caked in ice now that her hair had dried. Mabel was an honorary mermaid, and the shells and seaweed were quickly and carefully placed on the cabinet next to the bed. One in particular caught her attention, a seashell encrusted with scales that almost looked like jewels. Mabel made sure to set it down as carefully as possible so that it wouldn’t break.

Curling up carefully, Mabel yawned and thought once more of the mermaids as she could hear Bill shouting on deck and giving orders out. Sister, they had called her. The thought of being so close to something so gorgeous filled her chest with warmth, but at the same time it made her sad. Dipper was probably worried sick about her, and she just wanted nothing more than to be with her family again. Adventures at sea were only fun when one actually chose it.

With all of Bill’s blankets tucked around her, Mabel settled into bed to finally warm up, and to hopefully fall asleep. At least in her dreams she’d be able to think about Dipper, and be with her family. In a way, she wished the adventure was already over.

* * *

After shouting and orders, Bill found himself at the helm, sailing the ship for the first time in a long time as whoever wasn’t needed on deck disappeared below to try to escape the cold. He just couldn’t get the imagine of Mabel completely surrounded and protected by mermaids out of his mind. It was one of the strangest, and most gorgeous sights, he had ever been graced with.

He wasn’t out there for long before Tad came over, leaning against the railing and sending Bill a curious look, to which the pirate captain ignored. Whatever Tad wanted to talk about, Bill didn’t. He knew that look, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

“What are you going to do when we get to port?” Tad asked instead, crossing his arms and seeming completely oblivious to the cold. Even Bill couldn’t help but shudder at it.

“Restock supplies and make sure everything’s in working order.” Bill snapped, completely ignoring the obvious topic that Tad wanted to breech. Tad sighed, clicking his tongue slightly and deciding to leave it.

“You know, if she really is the one,” Tad paused, looking at Bill, who suddenly seemed very interested in the compass he pulled out of his pocket, “this won’t end well. Gleeful won’t let her go easily. You’ve known what this meant, going into it. She’s nice and everything, but are you really going to let yourself get attached?”

Bill barked out a laugh, loud enough to get some attention of the crew and make them quickly turn their gaze away from the captain. They knew that tone when they heard it, and knew when to avoid their captain. Mabel, for some reason, had actually been one of the few things that actually calmed him down, but she wasn’t here, and Bill was a loose cannon.

“The deal with her was that she’d help me take down Gleeful. I never said how, she’s signed herself up for this.” Bill’s tone was sharp, and to anyone else it would have been a cue to take their leave and drop the topic. Tad never seemed to understand cues like that though.

“This, from the man who pouted like a child when she ignored him, from the man who only smiled at her when she smiled first, who gave up his bed, who made sure she was safe here and on that island. Get off that high horse you’re riding and admit that you care.” Tad was somehow completely relaxed as he chewed Bill out, arms still crossed casually and if it wasn’t for the volume of his voice steadily rising, one would have thought he didn’t care at all.

“You’re crossing a thin line, Strange.” Bill growled. “How long have we dreamed of this? Doing our best to collect what we needed? It’s finally in our grasp and you want to back out?”

Tad finally moved, holding his hands up and shaking his head. He was disappointed, he was angry, but he didn’t want to do anything like this anymore. Bill was fighting his own feelings, and Tad was starting to think that it wouldn’t just take a nudge, but a hard shove in the right direction to get Bill to realize it.

“Say what you will, captain. I just don’t think that when the time comes, you’ll be able to spill her blood.”

* * *

She woke with a slam of the door and a haze as she realized she actually slept through the night. For a moment, Mabel was afraid, until she saw that it was Bill there, and her guard went down slightly. He glared at the door he slammed shut, as though it would burst into flames by his gaze alone. Mabel rubbed her eyes for a second longer before she watched him going to settle at his desk.

“Bill?” Mabel asked softly, still a bit pale and cold, but not nearly as much as before. When she only got a grunt in reply, Mabel slowly moved out of the bed, the floorboards creaking underneath her weight and the sway of the ship. 

It was almost too easy to see how stressed he was, or maybe he was just angry. He was harshly writing a line across the map, going from where she assumed they were to a place on the shore, and finally to an island so small that it almost looked like it didn’t exist.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling how tense he was. It seemed to snap him out of whatever anger he was in, because after a moment he looked up at her, watching her rub her eyes and try to keep from yawning.

“...I’m still cold.” Mabel said softly, leaning over and taking the pen from his hand, placing it on the desk and then taking his hand so he wouldn’t be tempted to pick it up once more. He stared at her mutely, not saying a word.

He didn’t really need for her to say anything else, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want her to say it. Mabel gently tugged on his hand, but the sea captain remained firmly seated in his chair as though she wouldn’t have been able to simply pull him out of his chair.

“Will you lay with me?” Mabel asked, in a rush, as though she was embarrassed. Bill nodded, finally letting her tug him out of his chair and over to the bed.

He stripped off his coat and boots so he could be comfortable, watching Mabel slip into his bed as if it had always been her own. Eventually, he made his way, lying stiffly next to her as she got comfortable with no worries. Soon enough, he was wrapped up in the blankets just as snugly as she had been before, laying on his side with Mabel’s forehead pressed against his chest.

It wasn’t until he was sure she was fast asleep that he moved, wrapping his arm around her to keep her closer. For the first night since she came aboard, Bill Cipher fell asleep, completely in denial about how much he liked having her share his bed with him, even if she was a blanket hog.

* * *

With how the ship sailed day and night, it wasn’t long before they were coasting into the newest port, with everyone cheering that they were actually somewhere warm for once. Mabel watched from her place beside Bill at the spot of land that was just starting to become visible to them, quite eager to get her feet back on the ground.

“Are we actually going to stay for a couple of days?” Mabel placed her hand on Bill’s arm, and he had to fight back a smile at the way she bounced up and down, her excitement infectious. 

“We are.” Bill chuckled slightly, turning back to the crew. “We’ll probably get there tonight. You should wear one of the dresses I got for you a while ago, since it’s warmer now.”

She nodded excitedly, turning her gaze back to the land that was slowly and steadily getting larger. Bill turned back to his crew, seeing more life in them than he had in a long time. He made a small promise to Mabel to return quickly, heading off on the deck and doing some things on his own.

“Captain, what are you gonna do about…” The man, one Bill vaguely recognized as one of the ones to assault Mabel when they first got back to sea. Bill didn’t really feel like talking, but he did move his gaze back to Mabel, watching her talk excitedly with Tad about being back on land.

“I don’t know about ‘cha, but I bet she gonna be a runner.” The man laughed, nudging Bill for a moment like he was making a great joke before he saw the glare that Bill gave him. “Don’t look at me like that, the only reason she didn’t run before was because she got drunk, ya?”

Bill grunted, crossing his arms as he watched Mabel laugh at a joke Tad said. It wasn’t something he thought he’d have to worry about, if he was being honest. She seemed happy here, and he didn’t want to ruin things by showing he didn’t trust her.

What if that’s what she was trying to do though? What if it was all just some ploy so she could get off his ship? Bill might have given her every reason to run, but he sure as hell didn’t give her any ideas about escaping. 

Bill Cipher was not one to let go of what was his.

He avoided her for the rest of the day, which Mabel seemed to have no issue with. She went and talked with Tad, or she went and bothered Kryptos below deck when he wasn’t busy. Bill went over his options all throughout the day, going over every scenario and wondering what the best option to take was.

By the time the sun was close to setting, Bill felt he had come up with a decision. He helped the men tie the boat off at the dock, seeing a couple of them actually jump overboard and into the water below they were so eager to get on land. Mabel laughed with the rest of them, watching the men go splashing into the water.

“Bill.” She seemed addicted to saying his name, and he really had no problems with that. “Can we go on land? I just really want to walk on the beach.”

She actually reached for his hand, and Bill’s resolve almost waivered. Tad was right about something, he was getting much too close to her, and that needed to change. With the wide grin that spread across his face, even he could see Mabel’s guard rise up a bit.

“I have a much better place for you to go.” He ended up saying, hearing his own voice snarl. Mabel hesitantly took a step back, but Bill just leaned down and wrapped an arm around her waist, hauling her over his shoulder and taking her downstairs. 

A couple of the men hooted at them, thinking their captain was going for a new conquest, but he ignored them easily. Mabel was pouring out questions a mile a minute, trying to ask where they were going and what he was doing all at the same time. Bill completely ignored her until they were finally downstairs, in the dark part of the ship where even the sun had a hard time getting to.

“Bill, please, I don’t know what you’re thinking but please don’t.” Mabel pleaded, not even able to get a word through to him as Bill finally set her on her feet and shoved her back, hard.

Mabel fell with a small ‘oof’ on the floor of the brig, watching with wide eyes that were full of hurt and anger. This was a terrible decision, he knew that immediately, but it was much too late to go back on it, not when she was staring up at him already with pain and hurt and he knew he had messed up.

“...Enjoy your time in the brig.” Bill muttered, locking the door firmly and shoving the keys into his pocket of his coat.

“Bill, don’t you dare walk away from me.” Mabel snapped, hands going to hold the bars of the brig and nails digging into the old and flaking metal. 

That’s exactly what he did though, turning on his heel and walking out of the room, shutting and locking that door as well. No one was going down there without his permission, and even then, he wasn’t sure he would let anyone down there. 


	10. I'd Trade All My Tomorrows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is Friday. Yup. Totally didn't get super busy yesterday and couldn't post.

Four days. They had spent four days at port, gathering supplies and repairing the ship. It was a long time, not to the crew, but to Bill it was, and to Mabel. There was nothing there in the room, and she was left in silence and her thoughts.

Bill had given Kryptos the key to the brig, so that he would be able to give Mabel food and water on a routinely basis. Kryptos would always spend longer down there than Bill would approve, but when Kryptos would come out of the brig late in the day, Bill wouldn’t do anything other than nod his head and tell him to get back to work.

Yet even four days was pushing the crew. They wanted to stay longer, but Bill made false reports of Gideon getting closer to them, and they begrudgingly packed up the ship and got ready to sail.

“You did _what?”_ They were about to set sail when Tad rushed over to Bill, glaring  harshly at the captain, who pretended he was unbothered by the stare.

“What are you rambling about now? We’re about to set sail.” Bill muttered, going over to help the men hoist the sails so they could finally move out to open water.

“You’ve had that poor girl locked in the brig for four days?” Tad seemed close to tearing out his own hair, or maybe he was just trying to compensate for the fact that he couldn’t just tear out Bill’s hair. “What in the world is wrong with you?”

“She’s a prisoner.” Bill was starting to get irritated with all of the shouting, and most of the sailors weren’t looking at their own work but at them instead. Though they all tried to be subtle about it.

“She is a girl who actually managed to see the best in you, god knows how.” Tad held his hand out for the key. “Either give me that key or you go down there and let her out yourself.”

For a moment, there was complete silence on the deck as the two men stared each other down. Though most of the men would have agreed that what Cipher did was cruel, none of them would have spoken aloud to tell him that.

Bill didn’t move, didn’t make a motion to getting the key out, just helping his men rig up the sail as Tad glared at the captain. He had no idea how he would be able to convince the cruel man that what he had done was wrong, but he had to at least, try.

“That girl has done nothing but try to be nice to you, and so far you almost killed her, you’ve struck her, put her in dangerous situations, and as thanks you throw her in a cell for _four days?”_ Tad really had enough, because he thought that Mabel was the last person who deserved to be locked up.

Bill sent Tad a cold glare, one that would have made most people back off. Tad had been with the captain for too long, he knew the man too well, but Mabel sure didn’t, and she wouldn’t understand why Bill acted the way that he did.

“Every word you speak buys her another day in the brig.” Bill eventually said, and not only did Tad grow quiet immediately, but the whole crew did.

They all went back to work as though the exchange had never happened, and Tad nearly screamed if the threat hadn’t worked so well on him. He gave Bill a glare before going to take over the helm, deciding that Bill would just have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

It wasn’t until they were well out into sea, with land merely a speck in the distance, that Bill finally ran out of things to do and went downstairs. There was nothing else he could have done to put off the inevitable anyways.

The stairs creaked as he walked down them, the first door sliding open with ease as his steps echoed in the dark room, and guilt pooling in his stomach. There was a reason why he didn’t want Tad going to get Mabel, he wanted to see the damage he had caused.

She laid curled up on her side on the bench, fast asleep until he finally unlocked the door and opened it with a creak. Mabel was pale, dark bags underneath her eyes and her cheeks hollowed out a bit. Mabel looked more haggard than he had ever seen her before, but he had seen sailors who survived less time in his brig.

“We left port, do as you wish.” Bill said, watching her pick herself up and sway unsteadily. There was no benefit to being forced into isolation, even with visits from Kryptos.

She didn’t move until he moved aside, and even then she made sure there was as much space as possible between them as she moved out of the cell. She visibly relaxed a little, but then tensed as she realized he could just pick her up and throw her in there once more.

“An-any part of you that I thought was _kind_ was a lie.” Mabel muttered, voice cracking with disuse and pain. “You’re nothing more than the monster and cruel man that my uncles talked about.”

Before he could reach out to stop her, or even say another word to retort, she rushed upstairs, and he could swear he heard her sobs echo down the hall as he stayed locked in place. Bill glanced back at the cell she had just vacated, shutting the door to the cell behind him and locking it tightly.

Mabel didn’t even bother to hide her tears as she rushed upstairs, getting on the deck and glancing around. Most of the crew sent her worried glances, and at some point Mabel realized that she had become less of a burden and more of a part of the crew. Kryptos even flinched at the sight of her, and Mabel wondered how terrible she looked, standing there and as pale as the moon.

“Mabel?” Tad asked softly, abandoning his work to be picked up by someone else as he approached her. Mabel was still sobbing, unsure what she would even be able to say to explain how she felt right now.

Her lip trembled as Tad tentatively placed an arm on her shoulder, and she nearly collapsed in on herself, leaning against his chest and sobbing. The crew was pointedly ignoring her, but Mabel didn’t care one bit. Let them stare, let them look at her and see the damage their captain did. Mabel wrapped her arms around Tad, feeling him gently rub her back to try to get her to calm down.

“I-I thought,” Mabel hiccuped through her sobs, clinging to Tad and not seeing that Bill came up from below deck, glancing over at them, “that I meant more to him than that.”

* * *

She avoided Bill like the plague after that day, even as the color returned to her cheeks. Tad always seemed to be with her, and Bill didn’t miss the way that every night they retired to Tad’s room. Bill ignored it, even though he burned with jealousy he had no right to feel.

It wasn’t often that they threw a party at night while they sailed, since everyone wanted a chance to relax, but Kryptos had volunteered to take over the helm, and the rest of the men relaxed so they could spend time together. This time, when the crew went dancing, Mabel didn’t hesitate to join them, but she didn’t drink. After the last time, she wasn’t ever sure she’d be able to.

They had already spent two days out at sea, two days of Mabel nursing her hurt from being locked away, two days of sailing without rest, and two days of knowing that Bill would stare at her when she came out on deck and not caring one bit. So what if she made sure that every time Tad hugged her or gave her comfort, Mabel made sure Bill could see it? Tad knew she only thought of him as a friend, one of her best friends, and when she told him what she was planning, while Tad slept on the floor and gave his bed up for her, he agreed to help her in any way that he could.

The music was loud and the crew was even louder. Bill watched from the sidelines where Mabel had first watched them celebrate going to port. She had been aboard for almost a month, but it was so strange to think of it as that long. It felt like days.

She would have ran, Bill reassured himself, watching his crew. She would have left and his plans would have been ruined. Everything he worked for, every reason why he had stolen a ship and ran away, it would have been torn down by a young woman who looked up at him and pretended she was happy. She had to be reminded that she was a prisoner. Even if Bill had to remind himself of that as well.

There was a time when she actually looked up at him like that, laughing, and dancing. Now she looked up at his crew, and Bill hated the thought that she would still be looking at him like that if it hadn't been for the fact that he ruined things. That at some point she had moved on from being a prisoner, to being a part of the crew.

“She ain't gonna forgive you if you keep standing there like a hurt pup.” A sailor handed him a drink, which Bill accepted without hesitation. It was strong and bitter enough to make him grimace, but he took another long sip.

“She's not supposed to.” Bill had never taken his eyes off of her as she danced, and once he could have sworn her eyes darted over to him, but he was probably only seeing what he wanted to see.

Tad was right, he was getting too close, too close to her and giving up everything he had ever worked for. All for a girl who looked at him with wide eyes and almost as though he wasn’t the monster of the seven seas.

“Mabel!” The sailor next to Bill shouted, getting the young woman’s attention. Bill stiffened slightly, sending a glare at the man and starting to walk away.

“Yes?” She had distanced herself from the crowd, glancing at Bill but not even acknowledging him. Acknowledging meant talking, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

“Captain’s all gettin’ lonely, and he only dances with you.” Bill was close to blowing a fuse, but instead, just glared at the man who stifled laughter. “Why don’t you dance with him?”

Mabel awkwardly laughed, taking a long step back, which Bill didn’t blame her for. It would have been hard for him too, if he wasn’t so focused on thinking about how he was going to kill the sailor next to him.

“Well, if the captain wants to ask me to dance he can do it himself.” Mabel ended up muttering, before turning back and heading into the dance. She could be a literal dance machine when she wanted to be, quickly finding Tad in the group and dancing with him.

Bill snapped his gaze away from Mabel, before emptying his drink on top of the sailor’s head and leaving him be. The man sputtered and laughed, glad to have gotten such a rise out of the captain with barely any effort.

The captain moved away from the other sailors, looking still at the dancing and watching Mabel carefully. The woman was dancing too close to Tad for Bill’s taste, and it was a long moment of dancing together that they actually seemed to get closer, making Bill boil with rage silently. He had no right to be jealous, or possessive, but he felt it, and all he wanted to do was tear Tad and Mabel apart.

Bill Cipher was willing to put up with a lot. He was willing to put up with the way Tad’s arm wrapped around Mabel’s waist. He was willing to put up with the way she smiled at him. He was willing to put up with a lot of things, but he was not willing to put up with the way Tad looked over Mabel’s shoulder at him, and winked silently before cupping Mabel’s cheek, bringing her in for a kiss.

Before he was even aware of his own movements, Bill was moving, and pushing people out of the way. Sailors fell, the music ended with a harsh, misplaced note, and Tad was thrown off Mabel by Bill’s arm as Mabel gasped with a blush. The kiss had really been nothing more than a peck, but with the way Bill and the crew now stared at her, she felt as though she had done something terrible.

“What’s wrong captain, jealous?” Tad asked, getting up easily and spreading his arms out. Bill almost growled, reaching for his sword and ready to flat out duel over this matter.

“Enough!” Mabel groaned, stepping between them and placing her hand over Bill’s so he wouldn’t grab his sword. “Look at me, you need to calm down. Nothing happened, it was just a kiss.”

“Just a kiss?” Bill’s eyes snapped to her the moment that she touched him, but he didn’t try to draw his sword. “I’ll fucking show you a kiss.”

It was sparked of anger, of jealousy and misplaces feelings. Bill wrapped his arm around Mabel’s waist, his hand going to grasp her own that was already holding his own, and soon her body was pressed against his chest as he brought his lips against hers in a burning kiss. Mabel was as tense as a board for just a moment before she relaxed, her hand tightening its hold on his and her other hand wrapping around his shoulders.

For a moment, they were so wrapped up in their own kiss that they didn’t notice the cannon fire. It wasn’t until the ship rocked underneath them from the blow that the kiss was broken, and they gasped for breath as everyone prepared for battle.


	11. For Just One Yesterday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm very evil for no update last week. Enjoy the newest installment though!

Cannon fire ripped through the air, and their kiss was broken as they stumbled to keep their balance. The passion and anger was quickly fading to concern for everyone, and Bill could have screamed at the knowledge that he finally managed to kiss her except it had been ruined. By a very unwelcome guest. 

“All men to battle stations! Get the cannons ready!” Bill shouted, hand still holding Mabel’s for a moment before he let her go. She was just as confused as he was, but even Mabel could see a threat when she saw one.

Pulling away from Bill, and leaving him to follow after if he wanted, Mabel rushed to the edge of the ship, staring at the opposing one that was getting closer by the second. Bill yanked her from the railing just in time as cannon fire rang through the air once more and a part of the deck where she had been standing a moment before was destroyed. Mabel clung to Bill and tried to get rid of the ringing in her ears, but she was visibly shaken. Not by the near death experience, but by the sight of the ship she had hoped to never see again.

“Gideon.” Mabel breathed, looking over at the ship and seeing the flash of white that could have just been her looking for what she wanted, but it seemed like Gideon to her.

“Mabel, get below deck, go to my room. I don’t care, just leave, now.” Bill ordered, not even leading her, just giving her a push in that general direction. Mabel turned with a glare, arguments already forming on her tongue when she felt the deck shake with more cannon fire. 

Mabel had learned a lot with her uncles. She learned when a ship had taken too much damage, she learned what it looked like when enemies had won. She knew what defeat looked like, and she knew the damage Gideon would cause, just for a victory.

“Yes, captain.” Mabel said, looking up at him for just a moment. He knew what he was doing, but he didn’t know Gideon like she did. 

For a second, she stared at him, before grabbing his collar and forcing him down to her level to crash her lips against his own. The captain stiffened in surprise for a moment, before he kissed her back, lips moving against her own and tongue gently flicking out to brush against her lips, but Mabel didn’t let it progress any further than that.

“I don’t plan to go down without a fight, captain.” Mabel whispered when she broke the kiss, hearing the ship return fire to Gideon’s. 

With that she turned away, darting over broken wood and ruined deck before Bill could stop her and force her downstairs. She stole a sword from one of the men, watching Gideon’s ship come closer and closer, and all the while Mabel darted to the place she wanted to be, so that Bill wouldn’t be able to catch her before it was too late.

“Tad!” Mabel shouted, stumbling and almost falling as the ship took another cannon. The first mate turned to her, watching her for a moment and then saw the captain trying to run after her. There was only so much deck space for her to run away on. “Keep Bill busy!”

Tad groaned, but still nodded, not even rushing past her but just walking. Mabel trusted him to do what was needed, and finally made her way to the perfect place to be seen. 

She knew she was a sight, with her hair whipping around in the chilled sea air, the smell of gunsmoke in the air. A sword held loosely in one hand, but not without skill that would be needed to wield it as the deadly weapon it was. She stood above Bill’s crew, who looked as ready to take orders from her as they would from Bill. Mabel didn’t face them though, instead facing Gideon’s ship, which was slowing to a halt next to hers.

There was just silence, as Gideon’s crew stared across a small bit of ocean darkness to see her standing there, with her hand on a rope to keep her balance. Mabel honestly had no idea what she was doing anymore, but the cannons had stopped, and there was a way to avoid bloodshed, as long as she made the right move.

“Sugar pie!” Gideon’s voice screeched over the water, and Mabel could just start to see his face. She almost winced at the nickname. “Ya alright, honey bear?”

“Gideon.” Mabel said, even surprising herself with how soft her voice sounded. “I’ve been waiting for you to come and get me already.”

Gideon almost beamed, and she could hear whispers among the crew, but even more loudly she could hear Tad and Bill arguing. For a long moment, there was just the sound of silence, as Gideon stared happily at her and Mabel realized that she was the reason why there was bloodshed and fights in the first place. Gideon wouldn’t be attacking Bill right now if it wasn’t for her.

There was silence for a moment, and then one long, rather slim, plank of wood stretched out between the ships, enough room for Mabel to walk across. Gideon had one of his crew hold the plank in place so that a sudden wave wouldn’t throw her off, but even then a small wave would have easily fallen overboard. At least Bill had taken her another way, one that seemed safer than this. 

“Gideon, darling.” Mabel’s voice was drowned out, and it was almost like she wasn't even there, it was like someone else was in her body, thankfully taking the small opportunity while it was there.

“As much as I know you hate Cipher.” Mabel placed one foot on the plank, tentatively placing her weight against it, just to see if it would really support her. “I don't want you to hurt them.”

Whatever argument Tad and Bill were having behind her silenced immediately at her words. Gideon's frown was visible even from where she stood on the other ship, and Mabel took one step out on the plank just to entice Gideon into saying  what she wanted to hear. 

“Come on back and we'll talk about it.” Gideon called, which at this point was good enough for Mabel. 

Before she could take another step, a hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt, hauling her back from the railing and on the deck. She landed hard on the deck, more than likely getting more bruises than she could count, staring up at Bill who was aiming his gun. 

For just a second, there was no sound, and then Mabel got up, shoving her weight against Bill to throw off his balance just as the gun fired. There was a tear in the sail a couple feet above Gideon's head, but Gideon stood unharmed, and Bill was glaring down at her like she just betrayed him in the worst possible way. She supposed that in a way, she had, but it was about to get worse. 

“Are you an idiot? He'll kill you!” Bill was working on reloading his gun, but Mabel still stood in between him and his mark. 

“No, he won't.” She braced herself for the lies, something she had never been good at before. “Don't tell me you actually believed that I cared?”

More cannon fire, this time from Bill’s ship as sailors took matters into their own hands. Bill was staring down at her in anger and shock, while Mabel was doing her best to remain aloof like she had planned this all along. She walked past him, this time the captain letting her, not even letting herself relax. 

“He sent you over here?” Bill grabbed her wrist, tearing the sword out of her hand and tossing it overboard. Mabel tore herself away, nearly falling when Gideon's ship returned fire. Her window of opportunity was slipping past. 

“That's right.” Mabel said, not skipping a beat. Her uncle’s would have been proud of her for lying so well. 

“You're still my prisoner.” Bill tried to grab her again, and whether it was luck or Tad actually helping her, Tad came falling out of nowhere, taking the captain down with him. 

She didn't hesitate this time, climbing back on the railing. For a moment, the fire of guns and cannons ceased, as everyone watched her carefully balance her way over the water and onto Gideon's ship.  _ Don't look back,  _ she told herself, her stride wavering only once when the water turned rough for just a moment, nearly tossing her into the water. If she fell, she might just be crushed between the two ships they were so close. Finally, she made it, hands shaking with adrenaline and wishing she could just go back on land. She had never actually been on Gideon’s ship willingly before, it was a strange feeling. 

“Sugar plum, are you okay?” Gideon asked, fat fingers cupping her cheeks and looking her over. Mabel nodded, placing her hands over his. Everyone wanted an act? She could give them that. 

“I'm okay, can we just leave, please?” Mabel asked, giving him her best pleading look. “I don't want to see any blood.”

Gideon didn't even have to give the order, with the last cannon fire from Gideon's ship, they set the sails to start off away from Bill. Mabel almost felt like she had been the prize that everyone had been searching for, first going to Bill and now back to Gideon, who had taken her in the first place. 

“Well, don't I get a kiss for saving ya?” Gideon asked, puckering his lips up. 

Mabel had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying that he hadn't rescued her, he had interrupted one of the best kisses of her life and caused enough wreckage that she wasn't sure Bill’s ship would be okay. 

They weren't that far from Bill’s ship, close enough that Mabel could see the crew still running around to hastily fix repairs. For a moment, Mabel considered saying no, but Gideon's hands tightened on her face and she realized she had waited just a second too long before answering. 

With images of a blond pirate captain in her head, Mabel pressed her lips chastely against Gideon's own, ignoring the dread and guilt in the bottom of her stomach that refused to go away.

* * *

“What's wrong with you?” Bill grabbed Tad by the collar of his shirt, hauling him up and slamming him against the mast. “I should keelhaul you for what you've done!”

Men were scrambling around to try to save the ship from whatever damage it had, but Bill didn't care one bit. He was angry at Tad, he was angry at Mabel, and he was angry at himself for being played so well. 

“We don't surrender! She was the prisoner here!” Even Bill knew that was a lie. Mabel wasn't a prisoner, and she never had been. 

“The ship’s falling apart! If she hadn't done that, we'd all find a nice watery grave.” Tad pried Bill’s hands off of his collar, fixing his shirt. 

“She played us.” Bill snarled, still able to see the kiss they were sharing. He was sure that they were going to have the best party when they got away. 

“She did the only thing she could to get Gleeful to leave.” Tad returned without even pausing. “Are you going to let him win?”

If they hadn't been through so much together, Bill would have shot Tad right then and there and ended the matter. Bill Cipher did not give up. Bill Cipher didn't let others win. Bill Cipher kept what he considered his, and Gideon Gleeful had just manipulated it right out of his hands. Bill Cipher didn't lose. 

“Fix what you can, get this ship moving. I don't care if we work all night! Gleeful is not getting away from us that easily.” Bill shouted, hearing his men cheer from their places. It wasn't easy for any of them to accept a bit of defeat, but at least it kept them grounded. 

“Sir? How do you even know where he's going?” Kryptos asked, quietly enough for his voice to almost be swept away by the sounds of repairs. Bill still heard him though, sighing slightly. 

“She told me on the first day she was here.” Bill pulled out a rather old book, checking his compass for the direction. “Head east! Prepare for a war, boys!”


	12. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many people are going to hate me for this chapter? Probably a lot.

For the second time Mabel woke up on Gideon’s ship, though this time was worse than last time. In a way, now laying in Gideon’s bed with his arm wrapped around her waist, their clothes laying on the floor after Gideon had really claimed his ‘conquest’ of the night, Mabel considered herself lucky for the time she had been on Bill’s ship. He had, in his own way, made sure she was okay, didn’t expect anything other than what she was promised, while Gideon expected the world.

It had been hard, watching Bill’s ship fade into the background, with Gideon standing by her side and quite proud of himself, as though this had really been the plan the whole time. As though no one else on the on the ship knew that she came back just so Gideon wouldn’t destroy.

Gideon took her downstairs, and Mabel closed her eyes and imagined someone else, a man with blond hair who kissed her with passion and not possessiveness like Gideon did. She laid away when Gideon finished, staring off at the glass cage that still held fluttering butterflies that had no knowledge of her anguish.

The morning light was soft, which strangely reminded her of the morning spent with mermaids in the cold, and once more she was thinking about Bill before she could stop herself. Why did Gideon have to be such a jerk? Nothing would have happened in her life if he hadn’t decided he needed to kidnap her. Mabel would have never been brought on his ship, Bill never would have encountered her, and she would have never met him. At least her heart wouldn’t be broken right now, and she wouldn’t feel like every moment that she laid there in a bed that wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Bill’s was.

“Morning, sugar plum.” Gideon murmured sleepily, moving and kissing her shoulder. He seemed to stick with that nickname for a little while, but Mabel never really knew what she was going to be called next.

Mabel could only stare at the butterflies. She felt like them, trapped in a glass cage that gave just a taste of freedom but didn’t fully grant it. Gideon didn’t even move, resting his head against her shoulder as Mabel just laid there. If it kept Gideon away from the people she cared about, Mabel would do what she had to. She could live in a gilded cage, couldn’t she?

“Morning.” Mabel returned softly after a second. “Where are we going?”

How she hoped he would say home, and just take her back to where she could see if her family was okay without her or not. There were certain things that Mabel had to constantly reassure herself on, like the fact that she was absolutely sure that Bill was okay on his ship, and that her family had survived everything they had gone through. At the very least, Mabel allowed herself to hope that they were looking for her. Bill probably wouldn’t be, but her family would never give up.

“There’s these just wonderful little islands in the tropics. You gonna love it there.” Gideon moved slightly, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his face as though he needed to wake up. Mabel continued to lay there, watching him rise and slowly make his way around the room. She stared at the ceiling so that she wouldn’t have to stare at him.

“I really just want to go home.” Mabel pulled the blanket up, over her shoulder before curling on her side. She wasn’t facing away from Gideon, but she wished that she was.

“Oh, sugar plum.” Gideon mumbled, his voice a sweet coo that almost made her feel like she was a child about to be reprimanded, “this is your home, it’s not like you got anywhere else to go, do ya?”

Mabel didn’t even bother to hide her cringe, remembering the fire and the hazy memories. Gideon moved over and sat down next to her, brushing hair out of her face, letting his touch linger longer than before.

“Just think about it, you and I, sailin’ the seas, taking over everyhin’ in our path.” 

She had thought about it, actually, but not with Gideon. A little while ago, she would have asked why she was willing to give up a huge part of her life for someone else, but at the same time, she had given herself over to Gideon without a second thought. All for the friends she had made, and the love that had grown. 

“Sounds great.” Mabel ended up saying, taking his hand off her face. Gideon seemed undisturbed by the act, but he did finally move away and made sure he looked like a proper captain before checking his maps.

“Course it does, my little butterfly. You’ll see, it’ll be great, being my queen.”

* * *

The waters were rough for the ship that was almost too damaged to sail, and Bill did not care at all. He glared down at the ruined deck, looking at the damage that Gideon had caused in rage, and Bill determined that he would return every inch of damage ten fold.

“Captain, we’re here.” Kryptos seemed to be the only one besides Tad that dared to come up to the captain, and since Tad was busy, Kryptos took it upon himself. “What are you going to do if-when we find her?”

Bill turned his gaze from the ruined deck, wondering if they would be able to steal another ship in time. He had a backup plan in place, but it was probably riskier than what he was planning now. At least Kryptos knew to state that they were in fact getting her back.

“I’m taking her back.” Bill almost snapped, but only sighed through his nose. Mabel  _ was  _ going to be coming back, be it willingly or a prisoner.

Kryptos nodded, looking down at the deck for a second just as Bill had done, before darting off to make sure the ship was properly tethered to the dock. They had finally come back to Gravity Falls, a place that Bill had vowed he would never return to once he had abandoned, but it seemed that desperate times called for desperate measures.

“You sure about this?” Tad asked, coming up to Bill and wiping his forehead to get rid of the sweat. Bill placed his hands behind his back, not even glancing at his men. By the end of tonight, half of them would abandon their cause, too cowardly to see this through to the end.

“I think the cause is enough to make sure that old rivalries are gone.” Bill spoke quietly, already walking towards the deck. “I know the Pines will want her back just as much as I do.”

“Are you even going to let her go back to them?” Tad followed closely next to Bill, a bit nervous to be back in the place they had once called home. 

“Not even for a second.”

* * *

On a warm night that was common for Gravity Falls, Dipper tossed and turned without a blanket over himself as Mabel softly snored near him. It wasn’t uncommon for him not to sleep on warm nights, but it was uncommon that he stayed awake during the night without actually reading. Normally he only stayed awake so that he could read, but for once he actually wanted to sleep, and he couldn’t. 

Eventually, he did move, laying on his side and staring silently as Mabel continued to probably have dreams of rainbows and happiness and everything bright in her life. She was a strange girl, but Dipper loved her more than anything.

It was almost an hour of laying there that a strange smell came to his nose, making Dipper lift his head and glance around. Was that smoke? That couldn’t be smoke, Dipper had no idea what could even light on fire near them. Plus, his bed was soft, why did he even want to get out of bed?

The smell of smoke just seemed to get worse though, and Dipper’s nose scrunched up as though that would make the smell truly disappear. He tugged the blanket off himself, finally getting up. It was probably nothing, but it never hurt anyone to check. 

Not wanting to turn on the light and disturb Mabel, Dipper yawned and stepped softly over the rug and made sure he didn’t drag his feet. No need for them to have another body swap incident just because Dipper was too tired to think straight. 

Fingers wrapping around the doorknob, Dipper couldn’t help but yawn once more as he looked over at the hallway, which was on fire. The hallway was on fire. Dipper shut the door.

For a long second he stood there, before opening the door just to make sure that what he was seeing was real. His nightmares tended to be extremely vivid at times, Dipper always had to make sure that he wasn’t really dreaming sometimes when incidents happened. 

That fire was most certainly real.

Slamming the door shut, Dipper went and opened the window, then going to wake up Mabel. She was still asleep, but with how roughly Dipper shook her that didn’t last very long. For a moment Dipper wondered if this really was a dream, but then reasoned that if this was a nightmare that Mabel would be fine with being woken up.

“The house is on fire! Get up!” Dipper shouted, actually managing to wake her up. Normally she was such a heavy sleeper.

Mabel yawned, but her eyes widened as Dipper spoke. Not even hesitating anymore, she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, one Dipper had given to her many years ago, heading towards the window. It gave them easy access to the roof, which had a ladder leading down to the ground.

Barely five minutes later, they were standing out on the grass in bare feet and pajamas, with Mabel shaking slightly as they glanced around for their uncles. Luckily for them, there was a loud banging from the front door as Stanford simply blasted the lock away with a gun, Stanley following right after him.

“Kids! Get water! Mabel, get help!” Each of them were too rattled to argue about anything else, Stan was already trying to get the water running so the house wouldn’t be completely destroyed. 

He didn’t even notice Mabel darting off into the woods as Dipper helped his uncles, gathering as much water as he could as parts of the roof caved in, the three of them all forced to watch their only home and their livelihood burn.  Eventually, when even Stan said it was too late to save it, and Ford had to pull Dipper back from the edge, that they noticed Mabel had never returned with help, and that they were still standing in front of a dwindling fire that they had only stopped from burning down the rest of the woods.

“Mabel should have been back by now.” Ford said, almost stating the obvious and glancing around. “Something must have happened.”

“No, really?” Stan muttered sarcastically, always one for pointing out that his brother had no grace or tact in conversation.  “She’s probably fine, just having trouble getting people here. Hopefully Soos won’t mind us staying with him for a little while.”

It wasn’t as though they would have any other choice, and Soos had always been there for him before. Dipper awkwardly wrapped his arms around his chest to protect against the chilled air of the night, wishing he had thought to grab something before racing out of the house. It was all gone now.

With that, they started into town, Dipper shivering with the cold and his uncles not saying anything to each other. It was strange, walking away from ash and smoke that clung to their clothes, but it was even stranger to see the light from the dawn peeking over the trees and knowing that Mabel really should have been back by now, something must be wrong.

“Good golly gosh, look at you three!” Lazy Susan was just heading into the diner when the three of them made their way into town. “What in the world happened to you?”

“Suz, the Shack burned down, have you seen Mabel?” Stan look the chance to go up, sighing and letting Ford and Dipper have a moment. 

“Oh, no! I’ll call the mayor.” Susan nodded to herself, rushing inside and leaving them standing outside. 

It was awkward, standing there, until the sheriff showed up and they had to explain what happened. At some point Ford gave up his trench coat for Dipper to have as they were taken to Soos’ house since none of them could think of anywhere else to go, and no one had seen Mabel.


	13. Family Connections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take this moment to thank anyone who has ever left a comment on my work. I might not have had a chance to reply, but I've read every single comment and they warm my heart. Thank you.

Soos took them in without question, declaring that he would be the one to make sure their house didn’t burn down again as he fixed it up. It was a bit difficult to explain to him that the fire had burned everything down so completely that their only choice was to start rebuilding from the bottom up. It was a bit awkward, and it took even longer to explain that Mabel was still missing.

“It’s Mabel, hambone’s gonna be fine.” Soos said, calling a couple people to ask about spare wood they could borrow to rebuild the Shack. It was a popular tourist joint, almost everyone was willing to help build it. 

Dipper had done the best that he could, scavenging through the ash and boards of wood to rescue what could be saved. Even two days later when it was obvious that nothing could really be saved, DIpper still scavenged through the wreckage and tried to find anything that might be saved. He came back to Soos’ house covered in soot and ash, but it was better than trying to figure out just what had happened in his life in such a short time. 

It was late at night, almost a week when Mabel had been missing, as Stan and Ford stayed downstairs on the couch and Dipper shared a room with Soos, that Dipper woke up with an ache in his stomach that he was sure a glass of water would solve. Soos snored, which annoyed Dipper more than he would ever actually say, not while he was a guest in another home and Soos was the reason why they weren't on the street right then. 

Yawning softly, Dipper among fell down the last step of the stairs when he heard hushed voices arguing frantically. It was too late that he could actually wake up and know what was going on.

“It's been almost a week, we can't just sit around and do nothing!” A hushed voice whispered, almost close to speaking in a normal volume. “She could be out there, hurt!”

“You don't think I know that?” Ford whispered, and Dipper peeked around the corner to see the old man pull out one of the journals he had saved and looked it over carefully.

“So we're just gonna sit on our asses and do nothing while Mabel might be hurt?” Stan sounded disgusted. Dipped almost wanted to burst through the door right then and demand he be a part of this conversation, but he held himself back. 

“I didn't say that. We don't know who took her, where she is, we don't even have a lead!” Ford snapped his book closed, glaring at Stan. “I want to find her just as much as you do, but we don't know anything, or have any leads to find her.”

There was awkward silence, and Dipper felt a lump in his throat. Ford was right, they had no leads, but that didn't mean that they had to give up. Mabel could be waiting for them to rescue her, even though she had never really needed someone to save her before. 

The two men started talking more, hushed whispers that Dipper couldn't hear, not unless he revealed just where he had been standing. He could give up the Shack, he could give up every single valuable possession and he could live with that perfectly. Dipper could do everything that was needed of him, as long as he actually got his sister back.

Yet it was like they were just waiting for Mabel to come walking through the door, like the fire never happened and everything was okay. Dipper hated it. He hated the fact that his uncles suddenly seemed more concerned with building the Shack than they were with Mabel’s whereabouts. He hated that nothing he could say or do seemed to convince them that they actually needed to move.

It was almost two weeks after, or maybe three since Dipper wasn’t really keeping track, that Dipper finally said enough was enough, packing what little he did have to his name. He had no idea where he was going to start looking, or what he’d even be able to do while he was searching for Mabel, but his uncles weren’t willing to do anything, and Dipper couldn’t live with that. His sister needed him, and he wouldn’t abandon her.

Slipping away just as dawn came, Dipper stole some food from the kitchen and made his way outside. The morning air was chilled, enough for frost to decorate the grass and his breath to form before him. Dipper paid it no mind, heading to the one place he would hopefully be able to find a clue to where Mabel disappeared to. It was stupid, but he actually liked to believe that maybe she would be waiting right there for him, in the wreckage of the Shack, like she had never left.

It was all still ash and soot, and boards that were charred and able to break with the slightest of pressure. Dipper looked out at it for a moment, not saying anything, as though there was anything he could say, making sure his back was firmly on his shoulders before he turned away from the wreckage.

“Well, no one ever said the Pines weren’t durable.” A rather high pitched, obnoxious voice said with a whistle, making Dipper twirl around and face the blond man. Dipper frowned heavily, looking at the man who seemed like he had just come out of the sea itself.

“Who are you?” Dipper asked, holding the straps of his bag carefully and wondering if he was going to have to pull out a weapon. The blond man gave a wide grin, one that almost looked more sadistic than anything else.

“She never told me she survived a fire, but ya know that just makes a couple more things clear. No wonder she thought you guys might be dead.” The blond laughed, stepping closer to Dipper, who took a long step back.

“Where’s Mabel?” Dipper had no idea who this man was, but there was one thing that was becoming clear now. This man actually knew Mabel. He might be able to help Dipper to get her back.

“Now, aren’t you getting a bit ahead of yourself? I come here to have a nice conversation and you’re just jumping down my throat.” The blond clicked his tongue, not so subtly putting his hand on the sword on his belt. 

“You bastard! Did you take my sister?” Dipper pulled his knife out, but all it did was make the blond man laugh. Granted, comparing it to the sword the man was holding, it didn’t seem like it would hold up in battle. 

“Oh, just as much fire as she has. You Pines are hilarious. Relax, kid, I don’t have your sister.” The man hadn’t even drawn his own sword, just watching Dipper carefully balance his own. 

“Then how do you know her? What do you want?” Dipper had managed to find the lead that he wanted, it just wasn’t in the way he wanted. He had honestly been hoping more for finding her sweater or something.

“I want the same thing as you, kid, to get her back.” The blond stuck his hand out for Dipper to shake if he wanted. “Name’s Bill Cipher, but I’m sure your uncles have told you all about me.”

* * *

It took nearly an hour of calming Dipper down enough to actually talk to him, and to actually make Dipper listen to what he was saying that Mabel was, in fact, not hiding somewhere in the bushes and about to scare him. Granted, Bill was not the best person to calm Dipper down, what with the innuendos that he made and outright refusal to answer others, but eventually Dipper wasn’t holding a knife right at his chest and trying to kill him.

“You really expect me to believe all this?” Dipper asked, shoving his knife back into his pocket and throwing his hands into the air. Bill had long since gotten tired of the conversation, wondering if he could really make due with just getting Mabel on his own. 

“I don’t care if you do believe it. Gleeful has Mabel, and he’s taking her down to the tropics to marry her.” So that wasn’t the truth, but Dipper really didn’t need to know all the gritty details. “Are you and your stupid uncles going to help or not? Seems like they’ve done a great job so far of trying to find her.”

Dipper gave a sharp glare, but it really didn’t affect Bill. It was absolutely uncanny to him how alike Mabel and Dipper looked, but really, they weren’t the same. They had completely different personalities. Bill preferred Mabel over Dipper, that was for sure.

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, trying to think clearly. It had been a long time since his uncles had actually sailed on the seas, but they still had a ship at the ready and could sail better than anyone he would know.  Dipper had no idea how he was going to convince his uncles that this was for the best.

Eventually, after a couple minutes of silence and just staring down at the ash, Dipper eventually turned on his heel, walking back to Soos’ house without another word. Dipper didn’t hear Cipher following after him for a moment, but then he heard the frosted grass crunch underneath the steps the blond took. 

For a long moment there was just silence as Dipper made his way through the woods, Bill a couple steps behind him. Dipper honestly wondered what could have happened between his uncles and Bill to cause Ford to curse his name through the years. It wasn’t his business though, at least Dipper hoped it wasn’t his business.

“Wake up! Ford! Stan!” Dipper shouted as soon as he walked into Soos’ house and saw Abuelita actually awake. He could have sworn that woman never slept.

“I make soup for our guest.” The old woman looked over Bill for a moment, getting an awkward nod from the pirate captain. 

After a long moment, Stan and Ford came from the living room, with Stan still trying to brush the sleep from his eyes and Ford just looking like he never slept in the first place. Did he even sleep? Bill and Dipper were sure the man never really did.

“Well, if it isn’t Sixer! Long time no see!” Bill cackled, grinning from ear to ear. For a long moment there was silence, and Dipper was thankful Abuelita actually managed to get away from whatever argument was about to happen.

“Cipher! Dipper get away from him!” Ford shouted, backing up for a moment and pulling out his gun. Dipper only sighed, more than used to these huge reactions from Ford at this point in his life.

“He knows where Mabel is.” Dipper intervened, not stepping into the line of fire but taking a step closer to Ford in general.

“So? He’s probably lying!” Ford replied, and only one word made Dipper reel back and rethink everything.

“So? What do you mean by so?” Dipper asked quietly, making Ford look over at Dipper and the steady hold on the gun wavering for a moment. “You were never going to go and look for her, were you? You...You just thought she was gone, you were just going to leave her.”

There was silence for a long moment, Stanley glaring at his brother and Ford trying to desperately think of words. The man had never been one for words, always for rash actions that left him with consequences that he had to think of later.

No one noticed Bill’s firsts clenching quietly, no one noticed Dipper struggling to breathe quietly no one noticed how Stan looked ready to punch everyone. There was nothing that anyone noticed except how Ford’s hand shook and the gun was slowly lowered.

“That’s not true, we just had no evidence that even said she was alive!” Ford argued. “We lost the Shack, we couldn’t really go chasing after no leads!”

Dipper turned to Bill, hearing Stan punch Ford hard enough to send Ford sprawling on the ground with a large thump that made Abuelita wonder what they were getting up to. They were all overcome with rage, each of them trying to maintain angers and stop themselves from actually causing a fight right then and there.

“I’m helping, Stan I’m taking the boat.” Dipper said, nodding at Bill. 

“Not without me you’re not.” Stan immediately said. “Where’s Mabel?”

“Gleeful has her. If we leave now, we can actually get there in time before this all goes to hell.” Bill said without question, starting out. The three of them made their way out, slamming the door behind them. For a moment there wasn’t a sound as Stanford picked himself up off the ground, and rushed after his family in his refusal to be left behind.


	14. Spells

Sailing the seven seas, adventure at every turn, it actually sounded like a life she would have wanted at one point. It really would have, but not with the man who was currently offering it to her. He stared down at her like she was a piece of meat, like she was nothing more than just a prize to wait in his bed for him to return to. For a moment, for as long as she was on this ship, she could pretend to be just what he wanted, couldn’t she?

He stayed on deck most of the time, leaving her to her own devices. Mabel wasn’t complaining about that. Gideon spent time away from her, and it gave her time to actually get her thoughts together to where she wouldn’t have to worry about putting on an act and pretend to be like the woman he wanted her to be.

The weather was getting warmer, and sure enough, it seemed as though they were heading down to the tropics. Gideon must actually want something to go down there, when they were younger he hated warm weather with a passion. Mabel didn’t really care where they went, as long as they got further away from where they could run into someone they knew.

Throwing on a dress he had gotten her, a tight thing that Mabel never would have picked out for herself, Mabel opened the window and considered just jumping out. Someone would find her in the water before she died, wouldn’t they? With a sigh she closed the window once more, refusing the temptation that was too much of a risk. 

The tropics. That was a strange thing, Mabel couldn’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t even to make a pit stop, Gideon made it sound as though they were going there for a very important reason. He wouldn’t really talk about it, but Mabel knew what he meant. 

“Sugar plum, you’re up.” Gideon said, making Mabel jump in place and looking from the water outside and at Gideon, who locked the door after he came in. Mabel never thought to check if it was locked when he left her down there. It probably was.

“Oh, you know, just getting a little bored here.” Mabel said honestly, watching Gideon sit at his desk. He gave his knee a pat, looking over at her and expecting her to move. Mabel did so after a long moment, trying to think of something else instead of where she was now sitting.

“It’ll be all better when we actually get down there, don’t ya worry one bit.” Gideon gave her head a pat, a little bit condescending as he was at times. Mabel nodded, trying to really think of what she could even say right now.

“Why are we even going down there? I thought you hated warm weather.” Mabel said, not even bothering to hide how she looked down at his work, which Gideon quickly hid from her sight. He had been upset when he realized Cipher had taken his book, but he had already copied down the most important parts.

“I don’t like it.” Gideon confirmed, hand on her waist and fingers rubbing circles there. “But there’s a very important item there that I need.”

“What do you need?” Mabel asked, completely ignoring how his fingers were spreading. Gideon actually paused at her question, picking up a map and spreading it out so she could see. It looked almost identical to Bill’s, except Gideon’s didn’t have a long line mapping their route, his only had a small island circled.

“Well, butterfly, in that book that Cipher got his hands on,” Gideon’s fingers tightened on her waist for just a second, “there was a very old spell in it. There was a little list of things needed, but I already have all of them but one.”

“What things did you need?” Mabel was honestly more curious rather than anything else, leaning her head on Gideon’s shoulder and thinking of the time when she sat in Bill’s lap to take a nap.

“Butterfly wings, a mermaid scale, the most prized possession that you possess, and the blood of someone pure of heart.” Gideon recited without hesitation, looking down at the map. “It all needs to be mixed together with pure water, from a natural spring in the middle of the ocean that only appears here.”

Gideon tapped on the map, right where he had circled the island. Mabel swallowed thickly, looking down at that instead of facing Gideon, because that would mean facing her memories and the knowledge she already had. He had no idea what he was doing.

“Isn’t...Isn’t that the spell for immortality?” Mabel asked, her voice soft. Gideon looked proud, nodding happily and folding up the map when he realized she wasn’t really looking at it.

“It is. You’re so smart.” He cooed. “We’ll get to live forever, sailing the seas, taking everything to our names. I’ll always have you by my side, my little butterfly.”

Mabel ignored him as he nuzzled her hair, thinking to herself that she knew just how this would end. Her uncles hadn’t just taught her in the ways of the sea, they had taught her about the spells and ancient legends they had learned along of their travels. Everyone knew about this spell. Everyone knew about the way to get immortality, but not everyone knew about the way that it was wrong, and that this wouldn’t work.

Mabel knew it wouldn’t work, she knew it wouldn’t work just like how she knew that there was no way to get immortal, and she knew that Gideon would be upset when he found out this wouldn’t work. In a way, she was right when she talked to Bill a while ago, just not about the ship. She wasn’t going to be getting out of this alive.

* * *

The ships sailing set on the ocean water was a sight, despite with Cipher’s ship being almost twice the size of the Stan o’ War on the water. Bill really had no time to dwell on the small facts though, looking down at the ship and thankful they would help, even if Ford had decided to come along. Bill thought they could do without him, but he supposed that wasn’t his call to make.

“It’ll take two days to get to where Gideon is heading, if we sail without breaks.” Bill called down to the smaller ship, watching the three men nod. “We can send men down to give you three breaks if you need it.”

He got a wave from Dipper, which honestly just made him happier that they were on some form of communication. Dipper had been giving him the cold shoulder, but he knew for a fact that they had to get Mabel back some way.

Leaning back against the deck of his ship, Cipher stared down at the horizon before them, uncertain that they would even be able to get there in time. This was a small window of opportunity, where they would be able to get there in enough time and stop Gideon from actually performing the ritual.

“Do they know?” Tad asked, looking over at the small amount of men who had stayed on the ship instead of abandoning their cause. It seemed as though they had been the ones who had gotten along best with Mabel.

“What? The fact that Gideon plans to use her for a ritual, the fact that I’m probably going to do the same thing, or the fact that even if we do get back to her, I’m not letting her go.” Bill said, mainly just avoiding the one topic that he didn’t want to say. Tad leaned against the railing next to Bill and sighed heavily.

“That you love her.”

The two of them seemed to freeze, with Bill staring at Tad with shock, and Tad staring at Bill like he was an idiot. Bill shook his head after a minute, not sure if he was denying that he didn’t love Mabel or if he was denying that he had told the Pines family anything.

“I don’t love her.” Bill sighed, not even sure he believed himself. “I didn’t tell them anything other than the fact that Gleeful had her in his clutches.”

“They wouldn’t be here if they knew what you were planning, Bill.” Tad said, his voice surprisingly soft. “Do you even know what you’re planning?”

Bill turned his gaze away, pouting slightly but refusing to say a word on that matter. Tad didn’t say anything more, not sure how he could comfort the captain and make him understand that nothing good would happen while he kept things to himself. 

“She hates me.” Bill said more to himself, but Tad just happened to be there. “Even if I get her back, she won’t want to be here with me, with us. She’ll go back with her family, and...we’ll be here. Forever.”

“You don’t know that until you try.” Tad reasoned easily. “If she hadn’t gone with Gleeful, he would have had the advantage to take this ship down. Don’t you think she left because it was the one thing that she knew would keep us safe?”

“I would have rather gone there as a prisoner.” Bill barked out in a laugh, but it was completely devoid of real emotion. 

“Gleeful doesn’t take prisoners.” Tad snapped back, quite tired of this argument. “She left because she knew Gleeful would take us down and kill you, and this was the only thing that could happen where everyone got out alive.”

“You honestly expect me to believe that she left because she just wanted to keep m-us safe?” Bill shot back, disbelief and a bit of hope now lacing his words. Tad nodded, not even sure this was really getting through to Bill.

“She cares for you, despite how you keep fucking things up. Just...are you sure that you want to go and throw that all away for immortality?”

Bill’s gaze snapped to Tad, the words having a heavier burden on Bill than Tad probably realized. Hadn’t they been planning just this? The whole reason they ran away from home, the way that they sailed the seven seas and done everything as they planned?

“I’m not giving anything up. It’s the reason we went sailing in the first place.” Bill said, voice strangely monotonous. Tad shook his head, turning away from Bill to look at their crew as though that would offer him any sort of answer.

“Family, support, maybe even a nice home on the shore. You know when we were kids, that’s what you told me you wanted. I get if that’s changed, if you want to spend the rest of your life sailing around and trying to find the next adventure, discover new land and all that, but do you really want to give her up?” 

Bill bit his tongue, because he wasn’t giving her up. Not in the slightest. He was going to take Mabel from place to place with him as she grew old and he stayed young forever…

“What are you saying, Tad?” Bill ended up avoiding the question, ignoring the thoughts that were now plaguing him. He would have to face them eventually. Just not today.

“I’m saying, that if I could find someone who looked at me the way that she looks at you, I wouldn’t let her go for anyone.” Tad said softly.

Tad walked away, and Bill was left standing against the railing trying to figure out just the way that Mabel stared at him. He remembered the wide eyes and the laugh when they danced, and he remembered that trust that she had for him, how she trusted him with so much. Did he really want to give that up for everything he worked for his whole life?


	15. Don't Make Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left!

She didn't want to do this. God, how she didn't want to do this. The island looked like nothing, a couple of palm trees, a couple rocks that looked as though they had gathered on the shore long ago, and grass. Mabel hated it the moment she was forced to land her gaze on it, with Gideon's hand on her back tightly gripping her dress like he expected her to throw herself overboard. She was starting to wish she had taken that chance when she still had it.

“Ain't it beautiful?” Gideon asked, looking at the island. “We gotta wait till sundown before we can head out, but I bet it'll look even better then.”

A million words were on her tongue, waiting to burst out with the slightest push. She almost screamed out when Gideon took her hand, looking down at her as though he had always expected this moment to be as perfect as Mabel was allowing it to be. Gideon didn't even seem to care that she felt nailed to the deck, but maybe he just really thought that she wanted to do this.

“I don't want to do this.” Mabel whispered, voice cracking silently. Why wasn't she lashing out though? Bill wasn't here, he didn't need protecting, and neither did her brother. Was she really safer pretending to go along with a plan she knew was doomed to fail?

Gideon's face darkened, his hold on her hand tight enough to make her skin go red, and Mabel to try to pull away. She wished Gideon was still the same way when they were little, when he was soft and squishy and she could lift him over her head easily. Being on a ship had filled him out though, turning fat into muscle and fixing her no means of escape.

“It's gonna be for the best.” Gideon's hand on her own stated that she didn't have a choice, but that didn't stop her from pulling back, trying to get a bit of distance behind.

She knew the legend he was after, she knew everything about it. She knew it all because the only time she had actually looked at the entries of the journal the hand drawn image of a butterfly jumped out at her, capturing her interest more than anything else Ford had written about.

* * *

  _“_ You mean I can live forever?” Mabel asked with a gasp, still small enough to crawl into Ford’s lap, though not without a small grunt from the man. He laughed lightly, seeing Mabel proudly present the entry of the journal as though she had written it herself.

“Not exactly.” Ford said, showing her the specific incantation. “See this? It's what you have to say when you make the option. It's been mistranslated for a thousand years, but I managed to find the original document hidden away, almost as old as the ancient beings.”

“So almost as old as you?” Mabel screeched with laughter as Ford suddenly dropped his journal, managing to tickle her through her sweater. She knew she should have reinforced it with extra fluff.

“As old as me? Just how old do you think I am?” Ford laughed as Mabel tried to tickle him back, pleading for mercy. Luckily for her, Ford couldn’t keep up the attack for long, eventually letting her right herself once more on his lap and relax. She only moved to get the journal, flipping it open to the right page so they could read together.

“So what did everyone get wrong that only you could figure out, huh?” Mabel traced her fingers over the butterfly that probably still looked the same from the moment that Ford had drawn it. He took her hands away from the page so she wouldn’t smudge it, even though the ink had long since dried.

“Well, see here?” He pointed right at one word, one that Mabel wouldn’t have been able to pronounce even if she tried. “It says pure, and everyone thinks this next word means heart.”

Mabel nodded, not even sure that she could follow along right now. Dipper would have been so much better at this than her, but Dipper hadn’t brought the journal to Ford with questions. Sometimes the things he said though just went right over his head.

“So what does it really mean?” Mabel asked, bringing her fingers once more to trace the butterfly. This time Ford didn’t stop her, probably not seeing the point when she would just ignore him anyways.

“I think it means intentions. Like that there has to be blood from someone with pure intentions, not pure of heart.” Ford explained, his excitement growing slightly. “See, I translated a large amount of text by hand, and I think that this loop was really meant to be more of a flourish which really would have translated the whole meaning of the word. Back then people weren’t nearly as careful as we are…”

Mabel had zoned out the moment that she realized that she was getting a lecture that she probably wouldn’t have understood even if she was as smart as Dipper. All she could think about was how there was an actual spell that could make her live forever. The rest of her life, making sweaters and always making new friends. It sounded like heaven.

* * *

 “Don't make me do this.” Mabel asked softly, not even sure that Gideon had heard her for a moment with how he turned away from her. She could feel her heart racing with every moment they spent together, every inch the sun sank lower into the horizon.

“But darlin’ ya know I only want what's best for us.” Gideon drawled out, his tone irritated. The topic was probably still closed off for him, but it wasn't for Mabel. She wanted to get out of this.

“I don't want to live forever.” Mabel said, taking a deep breath through her nose. She had lasted this long while pretending to love him, she could last a bit longer. Gideon might be a pirate, but in a way he was still the man who claimed he loved her.

“It's gonna be great, sugar plum, don't you worry.” Gideon kept repeating that, as though it would really melt away her worries if she simply stopped thinking about it.

How could she not worry about it though? It was her life on the line, it was Gideon trying to play God and live forever. She didn't want to watch her brother grow old and have a family without her, and all the while she was forced to stand on the sidelines and give up everyone she had lived.

“If you do this, you do it alone. I want no part in it.” Mabel eventually said, pushing back from Gideon for the first time since she returned on the ship, getting space between them.

For a moment, Gideon looked shocked, but anger quickly replaced that. His hand caught her arm before she could truly get distance between them, keeping her close even if they weren't standing more than two feet apart. Mabel tried to pry his fat fingers off of her arm, disgusted by his touch and unable to remain quiet on the sidelines anymore.

“I don't know where you got it in that pretty little head of yours that this is a choice, butterfly.” Gideon cooed, voice too sweet to be anything but sickly.

For a moment, she wished she had stayed quiet, but that quickly disappeared. If she was going down, she wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

The ships sailed silently together as they approached the island, and as Gideon’s ship floated silently on the water, Cipher and Pines sailed together to make a silent approach. There didn’t seem to be any noise except the breath of wind from the sea, and their boats sliding through the water as they made an approach.

“This isn’t going to work.” Ford muttered, getting a glare from Stan and surprisingly Dipper as well. Ford shrugged helplessly, holding his hands out in defense as they finally approached Gideon’s ship, which now seemed abandoned as well.

“You both really think Cipher is just going to help us? I’m telling you, he has something hidden up his sleeve.” Dipper tensed a little, but refused to turn around. His uncle, the man who he had looked up to, longed to be like, was willing to abandon Mabel to fate just because it wasn’t the logical thing to do. Dipper was starting to think they really weren’t all that alike after all.

“Then we’ll just have to stay right on top of him.” Stan said, turning the wheel so they could creep up silently to Gideon’s ship. Ford gave a bark of a laugh that matched Bill’s almost perfectly, and Dipper wondered if Ford picked it up from Bill or the other way around.

The ship's silently approached, Cipher’s coming from one side as the Pines crept up on the other. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon as they approached, and as soon as the sun hit the water in a burst of color that almost distracted Dipper, they descended upon the unsuspecting crew.

It was bloody, and terrible, it was battle. It was swords sinking into chests with ease, and it was damage taken on all sides. Looking back, Dipper didn’t remember anything other than sliding his knife into flesh and feeling blood soak his clothes, he would remember seeing his uncles fight against people as though they had alway done so before, and he would remember thinking that this was all for Mabel at the idea of Bill Cipher, but Dipper didn’t get one glimpse of him.

The sun had completely set by the time that the fight with over, with more of Bill’s crew dead rather than Gideon’s, but Dipper had been unwilling to actually take the kill shot like his uncles had. Dipper stood with his uncles on the bow of the ship, staring down at the fallen who were lined up peacefully, most soaked in more blood than they probably had in their bodies.

“You seen Ford?” Stan asked, leaning against the railing as the prisoners were escorted down to the brig. Dipper was tearing apart the least damaged fabric of his shirt, wrapping it around Stan’s wounds to try to stem the flow of blood. Enough blood had been shed already.

“He’s not with…” Dipper vaguely waved his hand at the dead. “He’s probably just helping them bring people downstairs.”

The older man gave a grunt, only once actually making a move when Dipper was less than careful than to safely cauterize wounds. He was too tired to be careful, and even then he didn’t have many supplies to actually make sure he was doing it safely.

“Cipher ain’t back yet.” Stan noted when the crew from Cipher’s ship came back from below, without Ford by their side and Cipher nowhere to be found as well. Dipper couldn’t actually even remember Bill fighting with them, much less actually staying on their ship when the fight was over.

“Why do we fall so easily for their plots?” Dipper ended up asking when the sun had long since disappeared, and he no longer had fresh clothing to wrap around their wounds.

“It’s just a way of life, I guess.” Stan shrugged, but then winced when it seemed to irritate his shoulder. “Some things never change.”


	16. Timing is Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next to last chapter. Let me just take this time to say that this has been one of my favorite things to write. Thank you so much for all the continued support. Without further ado, enjoy!

It was almost too easy. The timing, the ships, the crew, and Bill knew everything that was going to happen just as it did. He watched as his ship descended upon Gideon’s own, with the Pines family creating the perfect distraction. He had no problems sending most of his crew to battle, even if he knew he would lose the majority of them. They were just a distraction so he could get away.

“Tad, don’t go with them.” Bill ordered, snagging the back of Tad’s jacket when he saw the man inching forward. This was a risky plan, but one that would have the best payout if the gamble worked for them. 

Tad didn’t say anything, but did look back, a sword strapped to his waist and wondering just what Bill could want. Bill stuck his hand in his pocket, feeling the small collection of items that he had placed there hours ago in preparation. So much could go wrong, but so far it was going just as planned.

“Gleeful isn’t on that ship.” Bill said the moment he heard battle sound, going over to the rowboat. Tad helped him lower it into the water, hopping in before Bill could so he could man the oars and get them to the island. 

“How do you know that?” Tad wasn’t really in the mood for questioning, otherwise they wouldn’t have even left the ship. As far as everyone but Bill was concerned, this was a rescue mission. 

“Gideon wouldn’t drag her into the tropics and down to this specific island just to keep her on the boat.” Bill grabbed the oars from Tad, gritting his teeth and making choppy motions as he rowed. He was going to be sore, but they only had a small amount of time for this.

As they got close to the shore, Tad jumped out into the water even though it was waist deep, dragging the boat as close as he could before Bill got out and helped him drag it on shore. If Tad hadn’t told him that he just thought of Mabel as a sister, Bill would have been concerned over how desperate he seemed. It just made Bill wonder if he seemed that desperate at the same time.

The sand crunched underneath their boat, and Bill had sudden vivid memories of bringing Mabel to an island encrusted with ice. She had been declared an honorary mermaid that day, and now the memory of her smile seemed so faded and old. He was not going to let her get away from him once more. 

The island was quiet, and strangely deserted. It didn’t seem as though life had ever breathed in this island, but really it wasn’t. The plant life even seemed artificial, yet at the same time it seemed as though the whole place was something completely different. It was unlike anything that Tad and Bill had ever seen before.

Together they wandered silently, with Bill staring hard at the ground and looking for the slightest change in sand and dirt, while Tad stared ahead to guard what they were doing. Bill kicked at every single rock that they walked, looking for a change that was sure to come. 

It happened when he kicked a rather large rock, only for it to go flying as it seemed to be hollowed out. Tad started at it fly off, not even noticing how Bill was now on his knees, brushing away sand and dirt with his bare hands as he sought after the wooden boards. The only thing more difficult for him to read in the book than the ruins was Gideon’s actual handwriting. 

With a large creak, Bill pulled at hidden, rotting boards of wood that just seemed to fall apart in his hands. Tad was there as soon as he realized just what Bill was doing, helping him pull up boards and reveal a small, rather hidden cave that didn’t look natural. It was just wide enough for Bill to slip through, hands scraping themselves on the stones. 

As he dropped down into the wet cave that seemed like it had been built a thousand years before. Tad was at least smart, getting light from a source that Bill didn’t even bother to look back and see from as they started to walk. The two men had to walk a bit stooped, their knees aching as they quickly made their way through a winding cave that almost seemed to have no end.

“...everything’s almost in place.” The voices were warped, but it made Bill and Tad pause, walking almost silently through the last bit of the cave to the source of the voice.

The exit to the cave opened up, revealing an underground room that was just barely high enough for them to stand in. Stalagmites were forming on the ground from the constant dripping seawater, and now being almost in the room, it was easy to see the way that they were under the sea. Tad was pressing against Bill’s back, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. Bill refused to move though, keeping the sight to himself for just a moment longer.

They had lit torches to give them light, with a couple of Gideon’s men surrounding a large rock standing on it’s side. The rock had a hole in the middle, and dripping right through the middle in a steady stream was clear water, pooling for a moment before it would pour down into the water pooling on the ground.

Mabel, at first glance, almost seemed to be asleep in Gideon’s arms, until Bill looked closer and saw the blood dripping from her cheek, and the way her hands weren’t resting in front of her, but actually bound behind her. Bill almost growled as he watched Gideon look down at her with a look of possessiveness, going to place her down on the ground before the pouring water from the rock.

“Ghost Eyes, ya got everythin’?” Gideon asked, trying to keep his composure, but it was easy for everyone to see just how excited he was now.

Ghost Eyes moved, pulling out items from his pocket and handing them to Gideon, the same items that were now sitting in Bill’s pockets, minus the golden chalice that Gideon seemed to think was necessary. He filled the chalice with water from the stream, leaning over Mabel’s body and almost not noticing the way she was starting to stir.

“Don’t…” Mabel whispered, watching as Gideon dropped in a small, iridescent item into the cup, a small jewel, then a butterfly. If she had any sense of what was going on, she would have gasped for the poor butterfly as Gideon pulled it’s wings off, dropping them into the water and then dropping the body of the poor butterfly into the water next to Mabel.

“Hush, sugar plum. I’ll go first, and then you.” Gideon knelt down next to her, and now Tad had to hold Bill back from suddenly rushing in to try to save the day. “It’ll be done before ya know it.”

From where he was, Bill could just barely see the glint of a knife as Gideon pulled it out from his belt. Tad now had to really hold Bill back, even though he had no idea what Gideon was really doing, but he knew Bill could do more damage than good right now.

“It won’t work.” Mabel whimpered, trying to sit up but feeling Gideon press against her shoulder and at this point Bill would have shouted if he was allowed to do as he wanted.

Gideon lifted the blade, pricking the edge of it with his finger just to see how sharp it was. He took Mabel’s hand, watching the salt water drip down her arm for a moment before he moved, simply dragging the moment out for enjoyment.

Yet right then, there was a crash, the whole cave and area shaking as rocks fell from the ceiling. Gideon slipped from his position, going from kneeling next to Mabel to sitting flat on his butt as the young woman next to him gasped in surprise in pain as the knife found a very different location, instead of sliding into the flesh of her arm, it slid right into her stomach, a short but deadly blow.

“Mabel!” Gideon gasped, ignoring his wet behind, kneeling beside her. Even though the knife had slipped from his grasp, he had kept a good grip on the chalice so that he wouldn’t spill the contents. 

“Don’t you worry, sugar plum, this will be fixed in just a moment,” Gideon’s breathing was rapid, but not nearly as rapid as Mabel’s own, her hands shaking as they touched the blade still sticking out of her stomach. 

Dipping his fat fingers into the blood on her chest, Gideon ignored her gasp of pain and held his fingers over the chalice. As Mabel’s blood, only a single drop, fell into the water, it seemed to shimmer for a moment, but then it went back to normal. Gideon brought the water to his lips, taking a long gulp of it and shuddering, before he pressed it against Mabel’s lips. With no other choice, she took a gulp of the concoction, gasping for air the moment that she had a chance to.

Yet the wound didn’t get better. Gideon felt no different. Mabel was still gasping as she bled, with a knife sticking out of her stomach and her face paling. Tad couldn’t hold Bill back anymore, but by the sounds of what had happened, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hold Bill back.

“It’s supposed to work!” Gideon screeched, pulling the blade out of Mabel’s stomach just as Bill came into full view, but Gideon didn’t notice that. Gideon pressed his hands against Mabel’s stomach, trying to stop the bleeding but didn’t do well.

Without a word, not concerned with making a grand entrance or frivolous lines, Bill stormed through the water with a flourish of his sword, slicing through the air and sinking his blade into Gideon’s chest. Gideon gasped for air for a moment, hands going slack on Mabel’s wound before he collapsed in the water. His crew stared at the dead body, but were unwilling to move forward when Bill fell to his knees at Mabel’s side, taking it upon himself to put pressure on the wound so he could buy just a couple more seconds.

“Bill.” Mabel breathed out in a sigh, her own bloody hands going to hover over his own. He focused on her wound, putting as much pressure on it as he could despite how she whined with pain.

“I’m here, I told you I wouldn’t let you get away from me.” Bill tried to joke, but he was concentrating too much on trying to fix her that it sounded completely serious. 

“He go-got it wrong,” Mabel coughed slightly as her eyes started to get hazy. People were rushing around them so quickly, it all seemed like a blur to her. She could have sworn that she had seen Tad behind Bill, but it was so hard to tell.

“Don’t talk, okay? Just relax, I’m right here.” Bill said, seeing her skin get paler. “You’re going to be okay, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Mabel shakily nodded her head, letting her eyes slip closed for just a moment. Bill snapped at her to keep her eyes open, and Mabel was struggling to do just that. Everything around her really was a blur, with things getting more and more faded by the moment.

“Mabel, stay awake.” Bill ordered when her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. He got no response from her. “Mabel!”

For a second, her eyes seemed to flutter like they were trying to open, before they just gave up, and Bill could feel her pulse start to slow down. He was completely at a loss. If Tad had just let him go a moment earlier. If he had just rushed into the room, if he had never let her go with them, none of this would be happening.

There were so many what if’s that were staring down at him. If he had just changed one thing, she would still be okay.

“Mabel!” This time it wasn’t Bill’s voice who broke the silence, but Stanford’s as the man came limping through the water. He looked as though he had been through a war as he slipped over rocks and nearly came crashing down on them. He would have, if it hadn’t been for Tad grabbing his jacket at the last second.

“What did you do?” Ford snapped, trying to brush Bill away from Mabel’s shallow breathing to look her over, but Bill refused to move. Bill was the only thing keeping Mabel from completely bleeding out.

“It was Gideon, you pompous ass, and unless you plan to help, back off.” Bill growled. Mabel probably wouldn’t have liked to hear him talk to her uncle like that, but she wasn’t in any frame of mind to think of that right now.

Ford looked around helplessly for a moment, scraped hands searching through the water as though he would actually find something there that would help him. The only thing he did find was Gideon’s fallen cup, which now looked dull and grey compared to the golden sheen it had held before. 

“He tried to perform the spell, didn't he?” Ford asked, words almost pouring out too quickly for Bill to make out the words. Bill nodded after a moment, not even sure where this was going. Ford looked over Mabel’s face, tilting her head back to hear her breathing and see if she was still around.

“It’s a mistranslation, the spell only works with those with pure  _ intentions,  _ not pure of heart. It never would have worked. Don’t you get it? She can still live!” Ford was almost beaming, but then looked to the side, at the rock that had once poured the clear crystal water that had the chance to give life. During the commotion, it had fallen over,  and whatever chance there was seemed hopeless.

Tad snatched the cup from Ford’s hands, skipping over the rock and then moving over and trying his best to salvage something. Bill carefully removed one hand from Mabel’s stomach, feeling her pulse grow even weaker. He had never seen someone so pale before.

“Tad! Need that now!” Bill never did have anything precious to him in life to add with the mermaid scale and pure water, but he did have the other things Mabel had left behind in her stay. He had stolen just one of those for this, but it wasn’t even going to what he had taken it for.

Tad, somehow, came scrambling back, nearly dropping the barely filled cup. Bill simply dropped the butterfly in-even if it had been long dead-along with the scale and what he cherished most. Mabel coughed underneath him for a moment as she stirred, her cough bringing blood to her lips. 

Without a word, and no time to get to his knife, Bill simply sank his teeth into his wrist, tearing at flesh hard enough to make blood drip down into the cup Tad was still holding. Bill didn’t even have time to think, he just had to act, a small part of him wondering if this would even work. He wanted Mabel to live, he wanted her to live more than any part of him ever wanted to be immortal, and he just wanted her to be okay. If wanting someone else to live was selfish, Bill didn’t know what he would do.

For a moment, Mabel sucked in a harsh breath of air that even made Bill wince, and Bill took the cup from Tad to press it against her lips. She shuddered for a moment, her eyes blinking open for a moment as Bill poured the liquid in her mouth, and out of reflex she swallowed with the last strength she had.

Nothing happened.

Her pulse slowed down slightly, eyes fluttering shut once more, and Bill didn’t care if she never wanted to see him again as long as she actually woke up and said she was okay. He didn’t care if she hated him for killing Gideon, as long as she was still alive and breathing and he didn’t have to live with the guilt of being just a second too late. 

He couldn’t watch her anymore, leaning his head down and removing his hand back from her wound. Even putting pressure on it anymore wouldn’t save her, and everyone, even Gideon’s crew was completely silent as they all had to watch the scene descending before them. Bill squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think clearly and really unable to do more than hope, and yet at the same time feel that hope drain right out of his chest the longer the silence stretched on for.

Bill didn’t move until he felt fingers brush against his face, even if they were slightly chilled from the water. He brought his hand up to grasp the one against his face, pressing it against his cheek.

“My big bad pirate didn’t really think he could get rid of me that easily, did he?”


	17. Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over. Gosh, this has been a ride, and thank you for all the support. I appreciate every single one of you. Prepare for the emotional roller coaster.

The blood on her hands smeared across his cheeks as he looked down at her, vivid amber eyes staring down at her with shock. There was pain in her stomach, but not nearly as much as there had been before, and everything about her felt weak. Mabel’s hands were shaking just with the effort to put her hands on Bill’s cheeks.

“Mabel?” Bill breathed out, not caring for the blood as he pressed his lips against her palm, stained red almost immediately. There was just so much blood, everywhere. If it wasn’t for the fact she was still lying in an inch of cold water, she would be lying in a puddle of her own blood.

Their time to bond was cut short, as Stanford ripped Bill away from Mabel and let his niece lay in the cold water. Bill didn’t even get a chance to defend himself before Stanford punched him hard in the face, a crack echoing through the room as Bill’s nose broke underneath the first.

Tad rushed between them, pulling the two men apart as Bill clutched his nose to stop the bleeding. Mabel groaned and rolled on her side, trying in vain to get up on her own but unable to do so. She only managed to sit up, and even that was a stretch. When it seemed like Bill and Stanford wouldn’t come close to each other again, Tad went to Mabel’s side and picked her up, easily supporting her in his arms.

“I’m tired.” She mumbled, resting her head on his chest. Stanford was right next to them, checking Mabel for a temperature but only finding slightly cooled skin under his hands. Mabel let her eyes slip shut, only opening them again when she heard Bill groan in pain.

“Tad, please.” Mabel mumbled, and Tad sighed before going to his cousin and handing Mabel off. Mabel wound her arms around Bill’s shoulders, leaving her uncle fuming in silent anger as she seemed ready to fall asleep right in his arms. Mabel didn’t even care right now.

“I want to go home.”

They did, they left the island, with their ships carrying prisoners and wounds from battle. Dipper had nearly cried at the sight of his sister when he saw her, and all the blood, but she told him she was fine. Bill tightened his grip on Mabel when Dipper tried to take her away, getting a glare from Dipper at the action.

“Thanks for your help, but you can let her go now. She needs to be with her family.” Stanford came up behind them. Mabel didn’t even glance at him.

“I want to stay with Bill.” Everyone turned to stare at her. “At least until we get to a real port and see a doctor.”

Dipper grumbled, Stanford looked ready to punch someone, and the only reason Stanley hadn’t punched Bill like Ford was because he was sailing the other ship next to them. Bill pressed a soft kiss to Mabel’s forehead, taking her downstairs to his cabin.

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, before Bill could even tuck the blanket around her. Her breathing was soft, barely noticeable with how her chest hardly seemed to rise and fall. She was pale too, almost like she was sick.

Bill pressed his fingers against her wrist to check for a pulse, just to reassure himself, and kissed her forehead. There would be no sleep for him, not until he was sure she was going to be okay. Even in sleep, she curled closer to him, rolling on her side so she was pressed against him when he sat next to her on the bed.

Bill brushed her hair away from her face, feeling the saltwater and dried blood in her hair. At some point, Dipper came in to check on his sister, but left after a couple minutes. Bill felt no need to leave, not when he had lost her once. He wouldn’t lose her again.

 

* * *

 

“She’s fine, heart sounds normal, she can breath. She just seems a little cold, but otherwise she’s fine. How about you let me take a look at those cuts and that nose instead?” The doctor didn’t spend a lot of time with Mabel, only checking over her vitals, since she seemed to be the only one there who hadn’t been torn apart in a battle.

Bill huffed, resting his head on Mabel’s shoulder. There was always some kind of contact between them now, their hands always linked together, Mabel leaning against him, Bill’s arm wrapped around her waist. It seemed almost natural, with how at ease they were together. Mabel yawned, resting her own head against his own. Bill shivered at the chill that radiated off her.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Bill asked softly, the doctor looking over Stanley’s arm. Mabel smiled, reaching up to gently touch his face in reassurance.

“I’m sure. You always going to worry about me now?” Mabel asked with a slight laugh. Dipper glanced at them but didn’t say anything.

Bill only nodded, unable to explain it. He didn’t really have to though, not with what they both knew he went through. Mabel might have been the one who died, but Bill was the one who cradled her dead body in his arms, hoping for a miracle.

“What happened, when you died?” Bill asked. They both knew it was possible she hadn’t died at all. She might have just been on the brink. She never talked about what happened though.

“It’s not important, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Mabel ran her fingers through his golden hair, her hand trailing along his neck and then his cheek so her thumb could trace the freckles he had.

Bill didn’t ask again, just burying his face once more against her shoulder. Stanley had been patched up, the doctor sent on his way, and they were left sitting on Bill’s bed, with nothing more than their thoughts and each other for company.

 

* * *

  

Stanley and Stanford made quite a pair, a pair that fought especially hard when Mabel said with finality that she was staying with Bill. If Bill wanted to sail across the seven seas, she would be with him, if he wanted to settle down, then she was still going to be by his side. Dipper had long since given up trying to argue with his sister when she had her mind made up, and instead turned to Bill.

“She’s been through enough, you’ve taken her away for a long time.” Dipper said softly while Mabel argued with Stanley about what she apparently ‘needed’ in life. “If you really want what’s best for her, settle down and take care of her, like she’s done for you.”

Bill crossed his arms, turning his back to Dipper and instead pulling Mabel aside. She still had arguments on her lips, but that was silenced with a kiss from Bill, and a soft sigh when he pulled back from her.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to open a shop on the beach. A nice little place where I could sell things I’ve collected, with someone I care about.” He picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around his finger as a smile stretched over Mabel’s features. “I don’t see why this town would be a bad town to do that in.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement, a smile stretching over her lips and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Behind them, Tad mentioned something about finding work in town, and Mabel’s uncles finally settled down in their arguments.

 

* * *

 

They didn’t find a place just right on the beach, so they built it. As summer faded into fall, and then into winter, the house went up in structure similar to the Mystery Shack, where there was a main room where they would sell the wares and trinkets, and the back rooms where they would have their lives together.

As soon as the doors opened for the first time, Bill sat behind the counter as he watched Mabel sweep the main room and greet customers. Dipper was their first customer, buying a couple books that Mabel had told him about but refused to let him have.

“You’re swindling me just like our uncles.” Dipper muttered, putting money on the counter. “I hate you both.”

The whole day had been like that, until Mabel and Bill were exhausted, coming into the back rooms and falling into bed together. There was no time for whispered goodnights, there wasn’t even energy for a goodnight kiss. They fell asleep, still dressed, in each other’s arms.

Time went on like that though. Mabel and Bill hearing the gossip of the town, sometimes old allies of Bill stopping by with new things for Bill to sell. Tad picked up a bakery in town, bringing them a fresh loaf of bread every morning so they would never have to go without.

Mabel wasn’t aware just how much time was passing until Dipper showed up at their shop, tears in his eyes and saying that the worst had happened, that the Stanford had a heart attack, and wasn’t in the world with them anymore. Bill and Mabel closed the shop early, and he held her all night while she cried.

Stanley was quick to follow after, passing in his sleep without a sound. Dipper found him in the morning when he went to rouse Stanley for breakfast. Again, they closed up shop for a day, and this time Tad brought over Mabel’s favorite chocolate cake, something he normally only made for her birthday.

Time just seemed like something she didn’t need to concern herself with anymore. Dipper finally met someone he liked enough, a Mrs Mystery who helped him run the Shack. Mabel enjoyed meeting her, but she couldn’t go back to the Shack without thinking of her uncles.

In fact, she didn’t notice how much time was passing until the light caught Bill’s face, just as he opened the door for another day. There were crinkles in the corner of his eyes, laughter lines from years of staying with her, of actually being happy. Mabel went to their room with an excuse she didn’t even think about, looking at herself in the mirror they both shared. She still looked the same as she did so many years ago, not a beauty mark or wrinkle to be seen.

“Let’s get married.” Mabel suggested later, unable to take her eyes off of Bill. He nearly choked on his tea, coughing as Mabel gently patting his back to make sure he didn’t choke.

“What?” Mabel asked, tilting her head. “You don’t want to get married.”

“No, no, I do, I just thought you would plan something, not make something so spur of the moment.” Bill laughed.

“Let’s get planning then.”

She didn’t realize how much she had been missing out on, just by a piece of paper that she never had before. Bill surprised her one morning by placing a ring on her finger before she even woke up, a brilliant yellow stone set in rubies, sparkling in the morning light. Mabel had finally got him his own ring, a wide golden band that Tad helped her find just so she wouldn’t have to let Bill in on the secret.

They said their vows on the ship that Bill never could think about leaving, with Tad and Dipper as their witnesses, and the priest binding them together for eternity. Mabel stared up at Bill with nothing but love on her face, his eyes crinkling even more in joy as they took their first kiss as a married couple.

Time again, was nothing. Small little points that would forever stand out in her mind. Dipper telling her that he was expecting a baby with his wife. Tad bringing over new things he tried to make, staying up late and laying on the sand with Bill, watching the stars.

Mabel never did have children with Bill, and not for want of trying. They talked of adopting, they talked of other things, but nothing ended up happening. One time they got a cat who, greeted customers with a meow that let them know when someone else was there. It was another thing that Mabel didn’t notice had become a constant in her life until it just wasn’t there.

Bill sometimes would hum her favorite music, sweeping her into a dance around the shop when they had no customers, and those were the memories that she clung to the most, when his hand would rest on her hip and her head would rest on his chest, hearing the hum coming from deep in his chest.

More lines appeared on his face, and Mabel caught Bill staring at them one day when they got ready for breakfast. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and kissing his shoulder. Bill poked at the more prominent lines near his eyes, before turning in her hold and kissing her head.

“Look at me, getting old while I’m still married to this fine woman. Wonder when she’ll wise up and leave me.” Bill chuckled, but it sounded sad. Mabel shook her head, laughing as well.

“Never.”

Her own face never gained a line though. Her hands never hurt with age, she never got spots on her skin and she never found it hard to move in the mornings like Bill did. Dipper’s baby had been a boy, and now a young man, and even Dipper would come over and complain they should have built their house closer to his own so he wouldn’t have to walk so far.

Mabel didn’t realize such an age had passed though, it didn’t truly hit her that is, until Bill was trying to get up from their bed one morning, and simply couldn’t. His golden hair was streaked white with age, and Mabel had to help him rise from bed. He panted for a moment as though he had just run a mile, before smiling at her.

“Didn’t realize how big of a step it was, caught me off guard.”

Mabel laughed a little, taking his joke in stride and a tight grip on his arm as though she was afraid he would fall. Bill didn’t wave off her efforts. That night, Mabel dragged him out to the sand and shore of their house, and they laid to watch the stars, talking about everything they had lived through in life, until the sun rose in the morning over the sea.

That was the last night they ever stayed up to watch the stars.

As amazing as firsts were, Mabel distinctly remembered the lasts just as much. She remembered the last morning that Tad made the journey to bring them a fresh loaf of bread in the morning, telling them he was retiring and passing the bakery to his apprentice. She remembered the last time Bill pulled her into a dance in the middle of the day, and she remembered the last time that she looked into his eyes and only saw the young pirate who had kidnapped her.

They only talked about it once, in whispers in the middle of the night when Dipper was mourning the loss of his wife, when Mabel couldn’t sleep. Bill’s hands were wrapped around her own, gently toying with her ring, as though making sure it was still there.

“Would you have saved me, if you knew this would happen?” She asked softly, her voice barely louder than the whisper of the waves on the shore. She hoped, only for a moment though, that Bill didn’t hear her.

“Yes.” He murmured back, and Mabel freed one of her hands to cup his cheek and trail her thumb over his freckles.

“I’m glad.” Mabel whispered as Bill fell asleep in her arms, and she didn’t sleep a wink at all that night.

He never asked her to leave, but sometimes she would look over at him when he thought she wasn’t paying attention, and would see the sadness in his face as he stared at her. Mabel would always go and give him a kiss, no matter who was there.

Dipper died just as Stanford did, taking after his uncle one last time with a heart attack, and the final Mister Mystery was buried next to his uncle's. His son was too upset to keep the Shack open, and Mabel didn’t blame him at all. She had only asked that he bring a couple of her favorite things down, which he did without complaint.

Tad died when Mabel came to visit him, as he smiled sweetly to her and said thank you for everything she had ever done. Mabel cried as much as she had when all of her friends died, pushing away when Tad’s breath left his body in one last exhalation, as his caretaker came forward and asking if Tad was her grandfather.

Mabel was the one who came home that night and told Bill the news, and she was the one who held him as he cried for the last of his family that had died. Mabel took care that night, preparing Bill’s favorite dinner, and Tad’s signature dessert that made his bakery so popular.

Bill Cipher died in the middle of the night, when Mabel was sleeping next to him, not a sound coming from him. Mabel woke up with a gasp as though she knew something was wrong, and it was like the breath had left her body, she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.

“Please, please, wake up.” She had begged for hours, as Bill’s body cooled down as her own did, just a barely passing thought that maybe she really had died that night, when Gideon finally got what he wanted. “Please, I don’t want to live without you.”

Bill was buried next to Tad, an empty spot next to Bill that was left open for her. At some point, people had stopped thinking that Bill was her husband and thought he was her father, and Mabel corrected them with pride in her voice, because story of the notorious Bill Cipher still stayed on the seven seas.

Every morning, she rose with the sun, and took a loaf of bread to Tad’s grave, and set flowers on the grave of her husband. Every day, she opened the shop and sold her wares to whoever came by, and parents sent their children over to hear the stories that she had to tell. Every night, she closed her shop and went to lay in the sand, and told stories of what happened to Bill, who she hoped who could hear her.

“I should have told you, I should have told you every day how much I loved you. I’m so sorry. I love you.”

Every night before bed, she crawled into the bed that she once shared with her husband, and said goodnight, and a simple statement of love to someone who wasn’t there anymore.

If you’re traveling to northern Oregon, and happen to find a town on the shore that slept more than it was awake, you might hear stories about pirates who came sailing through, so many years ago. You might just be lucky, if the townsfolk liked you, to hear of a small shop on the shore, where a woman stayed, selling things that you could never find anywhere else. If you were truly lucky, and asked nicely, she would tell you a story, of love and heartbreak, of adventure, a story unlike anything else.

If you are truly one of the lucky ones though, one of the rare ones who she liked, one of the blessed ones, you might just realize all the stories were true, and she just might show you a pirate ship that was tied at port, well worn from age and battle.


End file.
